The Fallen
by STLHero
Summary: AU. FemNaruto. She knew her fight with Sasuke was going to change everything but Naruto never realised how much it changed her life until she found herself in a world where people bend elements. Now here she was two years later, helping a Prince to regain his honour while trying to figure out whether or not she wanted to go back to Konoha.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own anything**

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_Where the hell am I?_

Naruto rubbed the sides of her body as the coldness nipped the inside of her bones. The room seemed to be small, smaller than even her small apartment in Konoha. She nibbled her bottom lip and pulled the fur blankets closer to her body, trying to chase for more heat. This room was colder than any room she had ever been too.

She darted her eyes everywhere, trying to find any windows but all she could see was a bunch of sleeping bags alongside a single opening and the tiniest glimpse of snow.

_This isn't Konoha._ The knowledge numbed her, almost tempted her to drop her blanket but the coldness biting through her bones was enough for the blonde to clung to the furs. This wasn't Suna. Suna was hot or so Sakura once explained to her when Naruto wanted to know where Gaara lived. Was it Iwa? But Iwa was filled with rocks or that was what Sasuke explained to her whenever they had their geography lessons.

_Sasuke…_

She tightened her grip on the furs and grinded her teeth together as her eyes darted everywhere. No dark hair. No black eyes. There was no one else here but her. She hunched her shoulders and chewed on her bottom lip, eyebrows knitting together.

_What the hell happened?_ She shifted to the right as her blue eyes took in a few weapons scattered inside the tent. Sasuke and her had been fighting again, except this time…she was trying to convince him to come back home. Words failed with him. It wasn't enough to make him falter so they ended up using their most powerful jutsu.

_His chidori pierced through my chest. _Naruto looked down at her chest and blinked at the bandages covering her chest. Chewing on her bottom lip, the blonde pulled the bandages and let out a tiny sigh of relief at the lack of blood leaking out of her chest. _There wasn't even a scar._ Her shoulders relaxed and the girl looked up.

Yeah, she was definitely in either a house shaped like a triangle (that was cool) or she was in a lousy tent.

_But if I'm here? Then where is the Bastard?_ She ran her hand through her hair and knitted her eyebrows together. If she was here then he had to be nearby, right? Naruto couldn't know until she moved away from these soft fur blankets. She just wanted to confirm he was here, hugged him before smashing her fist against his face.

It was all his fault that she was in this mess.

_Find Sasuke and kill him later._ She bobbed her head and took in a deep breath before kicking the blankets off of her. Closing her eyes, Naruto pressed her palms against either sides of her body and forced herself to stand up. _Shit._ Her shoulder throbbed and screamed out but the blonde grinded her teeth together.

With each step she took, her shoulder screamed for her to go back to the tents and relaxed, but Naruto only clenched her hands into a fist. She inhaled and forced herself to stand up as straight as her body would allow her before it could complain and moaned even more.

Right now, she needed to find the person that found her and questioned them about if they saw a duckass boy with a permanent scowl in his face before asking them for directions back to Konoha. It should be easy as pie. Once that was done, she would go on her merry way of finding Sasuke and screaming at him for messing things up.

Then they would make things up and Team Seven would go back to being normal.

The flap of the tent slid opened and an elderly woman knelt down slightly before walking into the tent. Naruto paused, blue eyes widening at the woman in front of her. Blue eyes narrowed as she took in the stance of Naruto and with a speed faster than any civilian old woman that Naruto knew, she yanked Naruto's hand and pushed her back onto the blankets of fur.

"You shouldn't stand, child!" The woman scolded.

Naruto blinked and tilted her head together. The old woman had brown, wrinkly skin and gray hair. But there was only one thing that stood out about the elderly woman and it was her blue eyes. It wasn't the same shade as her own but Naruto had never seen someone with those shade of blue.

"Who are you?" She finally asked once her brain finally processed the woman's appearance.

The elderly woman doesn't offer her a smile nor did she frown. If anything she just let out a tiny sigh before taking a seat right beside her. "My name is Kanna."

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her eyes darted everywhere. The woman blinked, looking almost taken back by her words and the blonde frowned. Was there something wrong with what she said? Her name was as normal as it could be.

Except for Naruto being a boy's name but she blamed her parents for her first name.

"Where do you come from?" Kanna asked, pressing her lips into a thin line. "You look nothing like the people of the Fire Nation or the Earth Kingdom which brings the question of where are you from."

_Earth Kingdom? Fire Nation?_ The blonde knitted her eyebrows together and frowned. She might not have been the best student, always skipping class to have some fun with Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji but the name didn't ring any bells for her. It sounded nothing like the names that Iruka-sensei kept blabbing for her to memorize.

"Is the Fire Nation anywhere near the Land of Wind?" Naruto asked with a bright smile plastered on her face. The woman blinked and blinked before looking at her like she was either an absolute idiot or insane. Hopefully it was the former more than the latter.

Kanna eyed her. "The Land of Wind? I have never heard of that country."

"Okay…what about the Land of River?"

The old woman just blinked at her.

Naruto could feel her heart racing against her chest, just ready to burst away from her chest but the blonde took in several deep breaths. _Don't panic. _She steadied her trembling arms and gulped down the lump formed in her throat. "Where am I? The Land of Snow? 'Cuz I see a lot of snow."

Now she was just gasping for any straws or any clues of where she might just be.

"You're in the Southern Water Tribe."

That was definitely not helping her. "And where the hell is that?"

"In the South Pole." The woman answered, frowning. She leaned her body forward and placed her hand on top of the blonde's forehead. "Maybe you hit your head harder than we believed."

_Not hard enough for me to forget where the Land Of Fire is!_ The words were on the tip of her tongue but Naruto swallowed the words and instead stared at the elderly woman. All of the countries that she could remember from the tip of her head had met with just plain confusion. She grinded her teeth together.

She could figure this out later but there was something that needed to be confirmed.

"Okay, then have you seen a boy around my age with a permanent scowl on his face?" Naruto balled her hands into a fist and forced herself to smile at the elderly woman. "His hair would resemble a duck ass if it helped."

"You were the only one that my grandchildren found," Kanna answered.

_You were the only one…_

Should she be happy? Or should she be furious? Naruto wasn't certain of what she should feel but maybe there was a small part of her that just wanted to relax her shoulders. There was just a small chance Sasuke was out there. Maybe not here. Or maybe he was in Konoha with Sakura-chan.

He was probably going to get punish by the Old Hag but it was better than Orochimaru.

"_But you don't know if he is with them or not." _A small voice whispered in her mind and Naruto slumped her shoulders. She had to get away from here and find a way back home. She looked at Kanna and then frowned. If the old woman doesn't know where Konoha was, then she might have a hard time going back home.

No, she had to have hope.

"You have no idea where you are, do you child?" Kanna asked softly. Blue eyes stared at her with sadness and pity that it almost made the blonde bristled. She forced herself to nod her head, earning a frown from the elderly woman. Naruto sighed and looked out at the tent.

"Does it look like I know where the hell I am?" She retorted, scowling at the elderly woman.

The woman hummed and shook her head. Those blue eyes took in Naruto's bright blond hair before shifting downwards to her blue eyes and then flickering to her orange jacket on the side. _My beautiful jacket!_ Naruto slumped her shoulders. It might be cleaned but the blonde could see a few holes covering it, a reminder of the fight she had with Sasuke.

"Where do you come from?" Kanna asked softly.

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and slumped her shoulders. "I come from the Land Of Fire but…"

_It doesn't exist._

That thought alone was enough to make the blonde slump her shoulders.

"Land Of Fire?" The woman muttered, eyeing her. Naruto perked up and bounced in the blanket of furs, blue eyes lilting up with the way that those eyes stared at her like the name was familiar. But there was something in those eyes that made her want to hide under her blankets as those blue eyes turned cold. "Does your home have anything to do with the Fire Nation?"

"What the hell is this Fire Nation? And Earth Kingdom business!" Naruto grumbled, throwing her head back as a storm cloud loomed over her head. "Just tell me that ya don't know the Land Of Fire! The Fire Nation is not the Land Of Fire! I would know 'cuz it would be cool if we had two names!"

_I need to get out of here! And I need to tell the Old Hag about this._ Naruto tooka deep breath and stared out at the slight opening of the door as Kanna stared at her with concern eyes. She had to get the hell out of here as soon as possible. A toad would be needed for her to summon and hopefully Gamabunta might have some idea of how she could go back home.

But until she could find a way back home, Naruto was going to have to use her shadow clones to improve her chakra control and that might be enough for her to summon Gamabunta without any problems.

She wasn't going to waste any time in this part of the world.

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**A/N: -This is my take on an Avatar the Last Airbender and Naruto crossover and I hope all of you will enjoy it. This has been on my mind for the last few days and I have seen a few femNaruto/Zuko but none of them have been completed, so I thought to give this a try. **

**-This story is a bit of an experiment and a way to handle the writer block that has occurred for my other story. If you have any questions about the story or wish to see something then please let me know. I will take it into consideration and the next chapter will be a lot longer than this.**

**I do hope you like the beginning.**

**STLHero.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: There might be a time-skip in this chapter but the story will have a slow-pace in order for character development. **

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_(Two years later)_

"Why the hell am I here with you guys?"

Naruto rubbed her arms as Katara and Sokka stopped peddling their small canoe in the middle of the ocean. It had been two years since she came to live in this freezing land and not once could Naruto walk out of her small tent without rubbing her arms in an attempt to feel some warmth. Even with the orange paraka that Kanna gifted her, Naruto could still feel the coldness nipping her fingers.

But other than that, the South Pole was a pretty place. With the snow decorating the South Pole alongside the various glaciers, the place was almost like a winter wonderland that was just ready to be explored. The only problem? The daylight hours were short, too short for her liking.

"Because you are a better fisher than Sokka." Katara answered. The young girl put down the ore and stared at her with gleaming blue eyes that shone with so much happiness and awe. From beside her, Sokka scowled.

"That isn't true!" Sokka folded his arms against his chest and scowled as his blue eyes narrowed at his younger sister. "I can fish better than Naruto!"

"Wanna bet?" Naruto asked, offering the younger boy a smile. Doubt shone through those blue eyes and it only made the blonde smile even more. There was no way Sokka would be stupid enough to take on a bet that he couldn't even win. The blue-eyed girl let out a little laugh, only making the boy flush a brighter shade of red.

"It's not funny!" Sokka grumbled, folding his arms against his chest. "I'm not taking a bet that I know I'm going to lose!"

"You're no fun." The blonde declared, snatching the fishing pole from the corner of the canoe. She leaned her body forward and chewed on her bottom lip as her hand tightened on the grip of the pole. The fishing line was thrown backwards before throwing it forward to the water.

There was a large splash and Naruto grinned when the water smacked her cheeks.

"At least I will keep my pride," Sokka muttered under his breath as he grabbed his spear from the other side of the boat. Katara shook her head and stared out at the water while Naruto snorted, not bothering to correct the younger boy about his opinion.

Minutes passed and still no fish took the bait on the fishing pole, only making Naruto frown. _Something doesn't feel right._ She darted her eyes at the glaciers that was still floating in their place and then to Sokka. The younger boy looked down at the water, flexing and relaxing his biceps.

Naruto sighed and shook her head before looking at her own fishing pole. The string tugged and tugged, earning a bright smile from the blonde. Letting out a small whistle, Naruto grabbed her fishing pole and began to pull the fish towards her.

"How were you able to catch a fish so quickly?" Sokka demanded as the blond-haired girl continued to reel in the fish.

Naruto dropped the fish onto the bucket and flashed a bright smile to the boy. "I must have a gift, Sokka or maybe I'm not wasting time by looking at my reflection."

"She has a point!" Katara sang, giggling and snorting. Sokka swirled his head to his sister, only to scowl when the girl waved her hand around and smacked the boy with water. Naruto let out a loud, boisterous laugh while Sokka scowled at his younger sister before swirling his head at the blonde.

"You are a bad influence on Katara!" Sokka declared with a scowl.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "How so? I have been encouraging her to show her powers."

"You made me her target!" The blonde rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. Maybe she suggested to Katara to practice her water bending on someone but it wasn't like she ordered her to use Sokka. It wasn't even like she pulled out a kunai and placed it against Katara's neck, telling her to use Sokka as practice.

She just simply suggested to practice her water-bending on someone. How the hell was she supposed to know Katara would use her brother? She was a lot of things but a fortune teller she was not.

"Did not." Naruto retorted. She eyed the current and chewed on her bottom lips while Sokka glared at her. It was as scary as the glare Konohamaru would give her whenever she made excuses for why she couldn't play with him and his friends. If he wanted to glare at her then he needed to reach the same level as Sakura-chan.

Now her teammate could be really terrifying especially whenever she insulted Sasuke.

_You're just jealous of Sasuke-kun, Naruto! _Her heart ached and throbbed at the memory of those words and Naruto forced herself to smile even wider. _Just a few more months and I will be back home with Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan and even that Bastard._ She chanted those words in her mind and took in several deep breaths while both Katara and Sokka glanced at each other.

"Naruto, are you okay?" Katara asked softly, leaning closer to the blonde.

Naruto plastered on a smile and bobbed her head. "Of course, I'm fine!"

The younger girl frowned and stared at her with blue eyes shining with so much doubt. _She is so caring and naïve._ It reminded her of Hinata-chan at times. Her best friend had always been so caring, always ready to listen whenever she wanted to complain about how much of an asshole Sasuke was acting towards her.

But Katara was no Hinata-chan and the South Pole could never really be home.

_Did the boat just bumped into something?_ Naruto darted her eyes to the side and gulped as the boat bumped into another floating ice. She channeled chakra into her butt as the current of the water seemed intent on picking up in speed. It wouldn't be a big deal if it caught speed.

What was a big deal was the fact that Naruto could make out that the waters ahead was filled with so much ice. _How the hell are we going to maneuver this? _The blonde winced and groaned as the water pushed the canoe to higher speeds. Water splashed everywhere, hitting not just the canoe floor but also her eyes.

"Go left! Sokka! Go left!" Katara screamed from behind her. The blonde grinded her teeth together as the boat continued to bounce up and down. If she just opened her eyes even slightly, Naruto could make out the fact that Sokka was trying and failing to do what Katara was ordering him to do.

The boat bumped and smacked through the many different ices, almost making Naruto lose her concentration with her chakra. _This is bad._ The blue-eyed girl forced herself to open her eyes, turning her head around to look at Katara. If there was anyone that could possibly help them then it should be Kanna's granddaughter.

She was the only waterbender that Naruto knew.

But Katara clung to the sides of the boat and the blue-eyed girl frowned. She took in several deep breaths as her blue eyes flickered everywhere. So many ice and no way for her to stop this trainwreck, which was their fishing trip. Sokka kept rowing with his face flushed so bright red that the blonde grimaced.

He couldn't do this for long too.

Blue eyes widened at the sight of three floating icebergs coming close together. _Shit!_ Naruto placed her hands togethers and deactivated her chakra before grabbing hold of Sokka and Katara by their collars. She threw them off the canoe, letting out a sigh of relief when they landed on the ice to her right.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto jumped off the boat and landed right next to Katara.

"Thanks Naruto." The brown-skinned girl clutched her chest as she took in several deep breaths. Naruto bobbed her head and laid down on the ice. She looked up at the bright blue skies. The clouds strolled without a care in the world, acting as if they couldn't reflect the same terrible mood that fell on them.

For once in her life, Naruto understood why Shikamaru always wanted to be a cloud.

"Thanks." Sokka called out from the other side of the ice. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted to them.

Naruto waved him off and got back onto her feet. "No problem."

The blue-eyed girl chewed on her bottom lip and darted her eyes at the scenery. Only ice and water surrounded them alongside the broken remains of the canoe. How were they going to go back home now? She could definitely walk on the water to get back to the tribe but it would be a pain in the neck to use her clones.

Using her clones would also be a big risk if Sokka or Katara decided to knock out one of her clones.

"So it's our fault that we are in this mess!" Naruto blinked and jerked her head away from the ice and onto Katara. The younger girl had an ugly scowl plastered on her face and her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to stab her brother with her own eyes. Sokka just sat on the ice, shoulders hunched and a scowl playing on his lips.

Dear God, those two were going to go at it now.

"Gran-Gran insisted that I bring Naruto and you with me!" Sokka folded his arms against his chest and narrowed his eyes at Katara before swirling his head at her. "The both of you screw things up! There is a reason girls aren't allowed to fish with men!"

Naruto's eyebrows twitched at those words. Was he really going to say that it was their fault for this mess? She grinded her teeth together and balled her hands into a tight fist. What does being a man had to do with anything? She used to be praised by the Third Hokage for having a strength that rivalled Tsunade.

Whatever a man could do, a woman could do it a hell lot better.

"You shouldn't have said that, you little shit head!" Sokka squeaked as Naruto yanked him by the collar and smacked him hard on the face. Sokka cries reined throughout the empty area as Katara blinked and jerked her head at her. Pink lips just scowled, not allowing the girl to know the various insults that was coming through her mind.

"What the hell was that for?" Sokka screamed.

Naruto narrowed her eyes at him. "For saying that it is our fault when you weren't doing any better! Your grandmother wouldn't have sent me to go with you if you actually do your job properly!"

"I do my job properly!" Naruto raised a single eyebrow to the younger boy. She folded her arms against her chest and leaned against her foot while Katara darted her eyes between her brother and her. Sokka scowled. "Name me one time when I don't do my job properly!"

"When I told you to clean the shit out of your clothes!" Naruto retorted.

Sokka glowered. "You are the only one that refused to—"

Whatever the boy had to say, it was drowned by the sound of something heaving upwards and ice cracking. What the hell was happening? Naruto swirled her head around and channeled her chakra to her feet as the ice began to wobble. From in front of her, Sokka stumbled down to the ground while Katara crashed to the ice.

From below a circular ice berg raised up to the surface, causing the floating ice that they currently stood to rise even higher. Blond eyebrows knitted together at the bright blue light coming from the ice berg. Naruto stumbled slightly and her blue eyes widened at the sight of a young boy with arrows decorating his forehead inside the ice.

"_**The Avatar has decided to resurface again."**_ Naruto blinked and knitted her eyebrows together. Why the hell was the Kyuubi talking to her? He had been so quiet for the last two years, almost fooling her to forget that he ever existed. She chewed on her bottom lip and dug her fingers against her skin.

_What the hell was the Avatar?_ She shook her head and waited for the iceberg to stop shaking. Minutes must have passed before the iceberg stopped trembling like a shaking leaf. The blonde didn't bother to turn around to look at the water tribe siblings, instead she jumped straight to the circular iceberg.

"W-What the hell just happened?" Sokka cried from behind her. Naruto frowned and inched closer to the circular part of the ice berg. Blue eyes darted to the circular spirals decorating the ice berg. _Is this normal? Cuz I've never seen an ice berg like this._ She chewed on her bottom as her fingers danced alongside the ice.

Shivers danced along her skin as her blue eyes peered in closer to the ice berg. There was definitely a boy inside that iceberg alongside an animal that Naruto had never seen before. _Get him out of here._ There was a tiny voice inside of her head that demanded it. A voice so unfamiliar to her but a voice that compelled her to listen.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto curled her hand into a fist and positioned her fist behind her head.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Katara screamed as she jumped from one floating ice to another. From the corner of her eye, the blonde could see Katara was clinging to one of Sokka's weapons. The brown-haired girl frowned. "You can't just punch an ice—"

Naruto smashed her fist against the ice berg as she tuned out Katara's words. The ice berg cracked and hissed as a bright, blinding light shot straight to the sky. It was almost like a beacon with its brightness and maybe, just maybe, one of the other tribe members had some idea of where to find them.

God knew, Sokka was going to be a pain in the neck if he couldn't get his food.

It was not long before the bright light disappeared, only a fading image in the back of her mind. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the residual light that still seemed to clung to her eyes. No matter how many times Naruto rubbed her eyes, the light seemed to still blind her eyes.

"Why would you punch an ice berg?" Sokka hissed and Naruto knitted her eyebrows. When did he reach her? And where was Katara? She relaxed her shoulders when Katara took another step closer to the ice berg. Okay if those two were here then there was nothing for her to sweat over about.

"No idea." Naruto lied. She blinked when Sokka grabbed hold of her hand, no doubt trying to find some bruise, and the boy blinked. He looked almost kind of funny with the way he kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Naruto curled her lips into a bright smile before darting her eyes to the top of the ice berg.

Blue eyes widened as a young boy climbed up from the ice berg. His legs trembled and wobbled as his eyes and arrow glowed with the same blinding light from earlier. _The Avatar._ That was what the Kyuubi called him earlier but Naruto could only knit her eyebrows and tilt her head.

How the hell could the Kyuubi know him when he had been sealed inside of her?

Last time Naruto checked, she never met the boy.

"Stop!" Sokka raised his spear and glared at the boy. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, heart jumping to her mouth as the boy dropped down to the ground. _Got to help him!_ The young boy slid down from the ice and straight towards her and Sokka. The blonde reached forward while Katara lunged forward, grabbing the boy's arms and pulled him close to her chest.

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and strolled closer to Katara and the Avatar. She knelt down, pulled down her hoodie, and allowed her eyes to take in the young boy sleeping on Katara's hand. He looked like he could be around eleven, maybe twelve tops and it only made her frown.

"_Naruto-neechan! Is he your boyfriend?"_

Naruto gulped down the lump and forced herself to smile, pushing back the memory of Konohamaru that threatened to overwhelm her. She glanced at Sokka. The boy clung to his spear but his blue eyes flashed with concern, almost as if silently asking her if she was doing okay.

She only nodded her head.

"He's waking up!" Katara cried out to them as the boy fluttered his eyes open. Naruto took in a deep breath and leaned her body over the Water Bender, blue eyes darting to the arrows decorating his body. No scratches decorated his body. No bruises too which meant that he was fine.

There was only one question left to ask:

How the hell did he get himself stuck in the ice?

"I need to ask you something." The boy whispered. "Please come closer."

Katara chewed on her bottom lip and nodded before leaning closer to the boy. This only made Naruto laugh. Despite those eyes being half-opened, she knew from the subtle glint in those eyes that the kid was fine. Those gray eyes glinted with so much mischief and happiness that it made Naruto snort. Only one mischievous person could recognize another mischievous person.

So from her own experience, Naruto would declare that the boy was going to be fine and just needed some love and attention.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" The boy asked, smiling and sitting up straight so quickly that Naruto whistled. Damn and Hinata-chan used to complain about how fast she recovered. She curled her lips into a smile while Sokka just sweat-dropped at those words.

The brown-skinned boy leaned closer to her and whispered. "Is he being serious?"

"He's a kid…so yeah." Naruto deadpanned, shrugging her shoulders as Katara nodded with knitted eyebrows. Blue eyes widened when a gust of wind propelled himself up to a standing position. The young teen rubbed his head, gray eyes darting everywhere until it landed on her. His eyes widened slightly and he knitted his eyebrows together as his eyes landed on her hair.

"Is that your natural hair colour?" The boy asked, zooming straight towards her. "It looks like the sun! I've never seen anyone with your hair colour!"

Naruto bobbed her head. "I'm a natural blond."

"Wow," the boy declared. "You look different from the people of the Water Tribe that I've met."

"She isn't really a part of the Water Tribe." Sokka explained. The young boy blinked and swirled his head at her, knitting his eyebrows together. Naruto rubbed the back of her neck. How did she go around explaining this? Katara and Sokka still didn't fully understand where she came from. She sighed.

"But she is wearing a parka like you guys," The boy pointed out with a small frown.

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "I come from a far away land that you probably never heard about."

"Then why are you here?" He asked.

"Good question," Naruto stroked her chin. "Once I find out how I got here, I tell ya. But right now I'm just a hobo, just trying to figure out how to get back home."

Honestly if the boy continued to ask her so many questions, then today was going to be a long and tiring day for her.

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"Why am I still here?" Naruto asked as she took a seat on the snowy cliff that stood in front of the Southern Tribe village and over the ocean. It had taken them hours to get back to the village with Aang (that was the name of boy) and his flying bison. Honestly the more she stayed in this part of the world, the more shock she was.

Who knew that there was an animal called a flying bison? It might not suit the bison with the way that it had been more happy to swim through the water but it was still an animal that Naruto had never seen before.

She rubbed the back of her neck and chewed on her bottom lip as her blue eyes took in the vast ocean. From behind her, the giggles of the children echoed in her ear alongside the other laughter of the women. A part of her felt the flutter of happiness at their giggles while another part of her sighed.

_I can't stay here forever._ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. Summoning the Toads hadn't been helpful, not when she had been summoning Gamakichi and he couldn't bring her back. _Something is stopping me from bringing you to the other side of the world, Naruto_. She tilted her head and took in a deep breath.

The only sounds piercing through the area was the sound of the animals. It was peaceful, almost making the blonde close her eyes and taking in the fresh air. _I have to leave soon._ In the two years she had been here, she was no more closer to finding a way back to Konoha.

No matter how kind the people were, Naruto still had a duty and a promise to fulfill.

"I thought I would find you here, Naruto." Naruto blinked and swirled her head around. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of Kanna standing behind her with her hands clasped behind her back and a frown decorating her lips. The old woman wobbled closer to her and took a seat right beside her.

"Were you searching for me?" The blonde leaned her whole body forward and stared out at the vast ocean. The first time she came out of this village, Naruto wanted to swim in the waters. Before the South Pole, she had never seen so much water standing before her.

Kanna nodded. "Katara introduced Aang to the whole village and you weren't there to see it."

"Aw I miss it," Naruto snapped her fingers and let out a forced laugh. She had been doing that a lot more lately. If she used to fake a laugh once in a while in Konoha then she was faking a laugh almost every two days in this village. She curled her lips into a fake smile.

Kanna doesn't chuckle and regarded her for a good couple of seconds. "You have been here for two years now."

"Time does fly, doesn't it? It was only yesterday you were trying to make me eat your food." Naruto chuckled and stretched her arms as her blue eyes twinkled with amusement and happiness. It had been one of the worst food she had ever tried and now was the only food that she could eat.

How could she come to a part of the world where ramen didn't exist? It was unimaginable. A terrible crime in her opinion because how could these people never ever think of making ramen? It was like this part of the world was under a curse, a curse that Naruto planned to break.

"Most of the villagers are commenting that you should marry soon," The blonde stiffened and Kanna eyed her. "But that idea doesn't please you, does it?"

Naruto nodded. "Marriage is between two people in love and how the hell can I ever get marry if I'm not in love with anyone? Besides I have dreams and a promise to fulfill. Love is the last thing I need."

"Then what is your dream, Naruto?" The blonde blinked and tilted her head. Closing her eyes, Naruto saw the smiling faces of her teammates. _Idiot._ That used to sound like an insult from Sakura-chan but now she could see the humor in her eyes alongside the smile.

_I will get you some ramen._ That was what Sasuke would tell her whenever they were done with a mission. Her heart throbbed even more and Naruto opened her eyes. She looked out to the ocean, taking in several deep breaths, before flickering her eyes at the curious old woman.

"I want to go back home and see my friends," Naruto answered with a smile. It wasn't a lie. The dream before was for her to become Hokage but that dream needed to be put on hold. This was a new dream. It was a simple dream yet it was just so difficult for her to accomplish.

It felt like the whole world was trying to stop her from going back home.

Kanna bobbed her head and tilted her head to the side. "Then why haven't you leave the South Pole? We can give you a boat and you could go back home."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip and darted her eyes to the village. There was white steam coming off from one of the tents, hinting that one of the villagers were making food. The giggles of the children echoed throughout the area and the blonde curled her lips into a smile.

"Do you have that kinda feeling that something tells you that it isn't time yet?" Naruto asked, knitting her eyebrows together and let out a sigh when Kanna shook her head. "Every time I think I will go now, something stops me. There is a tiny voice telling me that it isn't time for me to go."

She doesn't know why she listened to that voice and feeling inside of her.

"And what does that voice tell you now?" Kanna eyed her and looked out to the vast ocean. She straightened her back before darting her eyes at her. Concern shone through those eyes, which almost made her smile. But Naruto couldn't smile instead she just darted her eyes at the various ice.

"It tells me that I'm going to leave soon," Naruto declared with a grin. "That I'm going to find a way home soon in the next few days or that I'm just going through another adventure before I go home. Either way, I'm leaving in the next few days."

Just as soon as she finished saying those words, Naruto could hear something crackling to the side. She chewed on her bottom lip and looked to the side, blue eyes growing wide as a flare went up to the sky. It exploded and released a blinding light that anyone could see from miles around.

"This isn't good," Kanna whispered, body trembling as her eyes shifted from the flare to the small boat that was coming their way. Naruto frowned and tilted her head, eyebrows knitted together. She channeled her chakra into her eyes and felt all the blood in her face being redirected to her legs.

"The Fire Nation is coming."

_In a few hours time, Naruto would definitely say that day had been the day when she had no choice but to leave the Southern Water Tribe._

* * *

**A/N- **_**I just want to thank everyone for giving so much positive feedback from the first chapter.**_

_**Zuko will appear in the next chapter and there will be some interactions between Naruto and Zuko. To clarify things, Naruto is currently fifteen while the other characters are in their canon ages. And once again if you have any suggestions for the story, please let me know.**_

_**STLHero**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N:** **I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

(**Nearly two years ago)**

"_Where are the men of your tribe?"_

Naruto looked around the tiny village, drinking in the sight of the village that she found herself in. There were so many tents filled with so many women and young children but not once did her eyes caught sight of any men. Well she could always consider Sokka a man but he was twelve year old boy.

"_My father and the other men of my tribe left a year ago to help the Earth Kingdom fight against the Fire Nation."_

Naruto looked away from the woman humming a tiny tune to her child and stared at Katara. The brown-haired stared out at the tents with such sad eyes. She guessed it must be painful to not have her father with her. Naruto wouldn't know. Her father died on the same day she was born, never really forming a bond with him.

For all she knew, her father probably didn't exist.

She pushed her tongue against her cheeks and tilted her head. "_What did the Fire Nation do?"_

Katara blinked and pulled up her parka, allowing her to see her eyes. Those blue eyes flashed with uncertainty and confusion. Naruto tilted her head to the side and scratched her neck. _Does everyone knows in this part of the world?_ She frowned and scratched her head.

"_The Fire Nation wants to conquer all the other nations and try to force their will onto us."_ Katara explained softly. "_Any nation that doesn't follow their desires will face the same fate as the Air Normads."_

"_What happened to them?"_ Naruto asked softly. Sweat began to cling to her skin as blue eyes filled with even more sadness. She doesn't need to ask anymore. Those eyes spoke volumes to her of what could be one of the possibilities to what happened to them.

War was never pretty or so the Hokage would always tell her whenever Naruto wanted to hear stories of his battles. People die. Consequences were made or so he told her with a sad look on his face. Even now she was thirteen and she still doesn't really know what the old man meant. But Naruto guessed it meant bad things happened with choices.

"_So who is going to protect the village if all the warriors are gone?"_ She asked and Katara faltered. Her eyes radiated with uncertainity and hopelessness, the same kind of hopelessness that Naruto used to feel whenever she came back to her apartment with bad scores. No, Katara had a different type of hopelessness.

She just couldn't help but wonder what kind of hopelessness that the girl had.

"_I'm going to protect the tribe! Our father left me in charge, Foreginer!"_ Sokka declared, coming out from his own tent. Naruto blinked and blinked, staring at the lanky boy. He had a scowl on his face and had his arms folded against his chest. This had to be a bad joke. She d only need to give him one good punch and he would be knocked out cold.

And she wasn't the strongest kunoichi in her home.

But Naruto doesn't voice out her opinion. These people gave her a place to stay when she still had no idea of how to go back home. No matter how many times Sakura-chan scolded her for being rude and being inconsiderate (whatever that means), she wasn't going to insult them.

So Naruto looked around the village, trying to think of all the ways that she could help the village. There were so many kids and all these Mums needed to take care of them, so she could fish for them. There was no sign of defenses but that was fine. _I can be their protector. _She doesn't know why but something told her that she needed to stay here.

"_You can't leave until you are sure that these people are protected."_ A voice whispered in her mind.

Even when Naruto looks back, she doesn't know who that voice was. Had it been the Kyuubi? Or had it been these spirits that the Water Tribe likes to talk about? Or was it someone else? She couldn't be sure but she does know that it had been the reason why she hadn't left the village.

Maybe the bigger reason why she never left was because these people took her in, and Naruto thinks it was only fair that she protects them.

* * *

"Did you signal them! I knew Gran-Gran and Katara were stupid to believe that story about you not knowing where your home is! You brought them here!"

Naruto could only stare at Sokka as his nostrils flared and those blue eyes narrowed at her. From behind him, the villagers stared at her with such sad eyes and it only made her bristle at the blame being thrown at her. Do they have such little faith in her? Why would she want to hurt the tribe that took her in? She grinded her teeth and Kanna took a couple of steps forward.

"Naruto was with me when that flare went up," Kanna narrowed her eyes at her grandson. Sokka flushed a bright shade of red and avoided Naruto's eyes, looking terribly ashamed and this made the blonde tilt her head at him.

Should she just rub it in his face? It would be nice to see him get flustered and yell out his apologizes to her. Saying the words _I'm sorry_ would hurt his big ego. But Hinata-chan was always telling her to be the bigger person. _You should just accept the apology._ She slumped her shoulders.

Why must she be the bigger person and accept the silent apology?

"I would probably point fingers at myself too," Naruto declared, smiling widely and letting off a loud laugh. Her laugh echoed throughout the village. It must have been so loud that she wouldn't even be surprised if that Fire Nation ship could hear her from the ocean.

Naruto rubbed the back of her neck and stared at the villagers. All of the women stood there, arms wrapped protectively around their children as their eyes flashed a silent apology to her. She shrugged, offering them a large, tight smile before allowing her eyes to continue looking for the faces of the other villagers.

Her eyes widened when she noticed two figures missing from the villagers.

"Where are Katara and Aang?" She tilted her head and chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth. Katara should be with Sokka in front of the tribe since her father was the leader of this tribe or so Sokka claimed whenever she asked why everyone listened to him. Apparently this village had a hierarchy or something when it came to leadership.

A sexist leadership since Sokka believed it would be impossible for a girl to lead because it wasn't her place.

Kanna blinked and jerked her head. The elderly woman began to circle around the villagers, blue eyes scanning through the various villagers while Sokka did the same. Both the grandson and grandmother glanced at each other, their faces growing paler and paler as each second passed.

"_Aang is back!" _

The single chant of the children was enough to draw everyone's attention away from Naruto and onto Katara and Aang, both of whom were coming from the same direction of the flare. The children glanced at each other, smiling from ear to ear before charging straight to the twelve-year old boy.

It would have been a heartwarming sight if it weren't for the fact that both Kanna and Sokka glared at the approaching kids. Why were they glaring at him? Were they trying to kill him? Because if their eyes could shoot kunais, Naruto had no doubt that both Katara and Aang would be dead by now.

Naruto scratched her scalp and tilted her head to the side. "Um, why are the two of you giving that scary look to Aang and Katara?"

Was there something that she was missing?

"Because if you weren't the one that sent the signal to the Fire Nation, then it has to be Katara and Aang." Sokka growled, clenching his hands into a fist. Both Katara and Aang flinched, not even bothering to deny the truth behind the words coming out of the brown-haired teen's mouth.

Naruto looked at the two kids in front of her. This part of the world was an absolute mystery to her with the way they could manipulate the elements without using chakra, but she knew some things. She knew Katara wouldn't have done this on purpose. That guilty look on her face was enough to tell her this.

This kind of thing was the kind of thing she would do, not Katara. Breaking the rules and having fun was the kind of things she would do. But what could have made Katara break the rules? Just even asking the question to herself, made Naruto knit her eyebrows and stared at her friend.

"Why would you guys do that?" Naruto asked. She ran her hands through her hair and tilted her head to the side. The question sounded stupid even for her but it just didn't make sense. Nothing in the world would convince Katara to break the rules.

She stole a glance at Sokka. The younger boy had his hands clenched into a tight fist and his nostrils flared, looking like a volcano that was just ready to erupt.

"It was an accident." Katara explained. Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her blue eyes flickered to Sokka. The angry shade of red on Sokka's face slowly changed to purple at those words. _I think that might have been the wrong answer to give._ She scooted away from Katara and Aang, making her way to stand beside the villagers.

Yeah, she definitely didn't want to be on the firing line when Mount Sokka erupt.

"We were on this ship and there was this booby trap…"

Naruto tuned out the rest of Aang's explanation as she knitted her eyebrows together into one thin line. She doesn't need to pay attention to know what happened next. No matter how much Sakura-chan and Sasuke would like to believe she was an idiot, she wasn't stupid enough to not know what happened.

This was her area of expertise. Sasuke had his ninjutsu and shuriken. Sakura-chan had her books and memorization. But Naruto had her taijutsu and her trap-making skills to boast about. No one in their graduating class could claim that they managed to place a booby-trap on a Chunin without him realizing it.

"You shouldn't have gone on that ship, Katara!" Naruto blinked and jerked her head at Kanna. The elderly woman had her lips pressed into a thin line. "You endangered everyone living in this village!"

_"Who cares about them? It is the Avatar that needs to be protected!"_ The Kyuubi grumbled from inside of her head.

Naruto frowned and scrunched her eyebrows. "_Since when did you care about some human? Didn't you say that you are above us or some kind of shit? And where the hell is the Avatar? All I see is a bunch of scared villagers and two sorry teens."_

"_Why must all of my containers be idiots?"_ The Kyuubi grumbled and Naruto bristled at the insult thrown at her. "_Let me explain it that even your slow brain can understand what is happening. Who do you think is the Avatar? You! It's the boy! You think it makes sense for that ice berg to glow blue or that he can survive that long in the ice berg?"_

Blue eyes widened as her mind processed what those words implied.

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Naruto flushed a bright shade of red as several heads swirled at her. A nervous laugh escaped from her lips and the blue-eyed girl scratched the back of her neck before looking at Aang. Was the Kyuubi serious? This little kid was the Avatar. This was the person that this part of the world had been hoping for.

It was kind of disappointing to say the least.

"Do you also believe that he shouldn't be banished?" Sokka demanded with a low growl in his tone. Naruto felt her face growing even redder as more people turned to look at her. If the Kyuubi was right about this kid then he needed to get out of here.

If not for the safety of this nice tribe then for his own safety.

"He should be banished." Naruto straightened her back and stared at Aang. The younger boy slumped his shoulders, lips curled into a tiny frown. Her heart ached for him but then Kanna's stories whispered in her ears, making her sadness fade. His job might not be fair but he ran away from his duty.

"He hasn't done anything wrong, Naruto!" Katara snapped. Her blue eyes stared at her, looking so hurt and confused by her words and Naruto could only stare at her. The younger girl bristled and clenched her hands into a fist. "You are the last person I thought would agree with Sokka and Gran-Gran! We allowed you to stay even when you messed up! You should understand him!"

_The Avatar has to keep the balance between the four different nations._ That had been Katara's words when Naruto asked about the importance of the Avatar. She doesn't really understand it but Naruto guessed he had a duty to do to the world.

That was something she could understand in some way.

"I don't understand cowards." The words hung in the air and not a single person made a single comment to them. All of the villagers stared at her with their heads tilted to the side, while Aang paled. His brown eyes widened at her words and the blonde stared at him with blank eyes.

The Avatar was loved by so many people and Naruto would have done anything to be in that position. Who cared about the responsibility? Getting that much praise and love was so much better than having people insulting you and treating you like a monster. The responsibility would have been worth it.

"How can you call him a coward!" Katara demanded. "He is only twelve!"

"_Are you scared, Scaredy Cat?"_

"So what?" Naruto snorted and clasped her hands over her head as her blue eyes locked onto Aang. "I know a coward when I see one, Katara."

Aang flinched and looked away from her eyes. Looking away was a sign of a guilty person or so Hinata would explain to her whenever Naruto asked how she knew when she was lying to her. The blonde inhaled, digging her fingers against the palm of her hand and looked away from the boy.

Right now, she needed to act like a villain and looking at Aang when he hung his head was not helping her case at all.

"Does it matter what Naruto thinks?" Sokka snapped, jolting Naruto out of her thoughts. The boy grinded his teeth together and clenched his hands into a tight fist. "Both Gran-Gran and me agree that he has to leave and nothing you say will change our mind about this."

Katara grinded her teeth together and snarled. "Then I'm banished too!"

_Banished huh?_ Naruto chuckled and looked away from Sokka. Her blue eyes locked eyes on the furious eyes of Katara. If it had been anyone else but her, then maybe they would flinch like a scared little kid. But Naruto only straightened her back and flickered her eyes to Sokka and Kanna.

"Why are you laughing!" Katara demanded, hunching her back. "I'm serious!"

Naruto eyed the girl before darting her eyes at Kanna and Sokka. Looking at them, Naruto fingered the orange parka that Kanna took her time to make it. _It is the first time that an adult made me something._ She dropped her hands away from the parka, clenching them into a fist as her eyes locked onto Katara.

"You are an idiot."

Katara took a deep breath. "I'm not an idiot, Naruto!"

"_Old Man, why don't I have a Mummy and Daddy like the other kids in my class?"_ The words rang inside her ear and Naruto could only stare at the girl with her jaws clenched together. Yeah, she couldn't understand what it was like to be the only bender. _I don't want to understand._ She could feel her temper rising more and more as hazy memories flashed through her eyes.

"Keep telling yourself that." Naruto declared, clicking her heels together and straightening her back. She curled her lips into a scowl and swirled her head at Katara. "Do you even hear yourself? You are going to leave your grandmother and brother for some boy! If you asked me, that is just pathetic."

She walked away, not bothering to hear the words of Kanna or the other villagers. The loud winds muffled their voices and the blonde didn't even bother to turn around to look at them. There was no reason for her to do this. Nothing they could say or do would make her take her words back.

Beside, Naruto had to prepare herself with protecting this village.

* * *

"You should go back to the tent."

Naruto stood right on top of the walls overlooking the village as Sokka pulled himself on top of the tower. It had been over two hours since the signal went up and as each second passed, the blue skies hanging over them was beginning to darken. Was a storm coming? Or was this from the smoke of the Fire Nation ship? Naruto wasn't certain.

She tightened her Hitai-ate and flickered her eyes to Sokka. "Why?"

"Because a girl can't fight." Sokka declared, looking at her like she was an idiot. Naruto felt her eyebrows twitched and she clenched her jaws. If there was one thing she hated about this world, it was the way they were so sexist. Konoha faced it too. But the men would never claim a girl couldn't fight, not when there were kunoichis around.

Did all the other nations have the same belief as Sokka? There was no way for her to know.

She took in a deep breath, ribs stretching, and lowered the hood of her parka. The cold winds caressed her cheeks, nipping her bones and her teeth began to chatter. No, the cold shouldn't defeat her. Taking another deep breath, Naruto turned to look at Sokka and let out a boisterous laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Sokka demanded.

Naruto blinked. "Have you seen yourself? Are you planning to make the soldiers fall in love with you through your makeup skills? Or do you plan to make them laugh?"

"It's warpaint! It is supposed to scare them." Sokka grumbled, looking everywhere but her eyes.

"They are going to be so scared that they will pee in their pants when they see you." Naruto muttered, shaking her head. She let out another laugh and tried to stop herself from smiling when Sokka glared at her. There was no way the soldiers were going to be terrified of a lanky 15-year-old boy in makeup.

Honestly, it looked more like her friend went to Kanna's drawers, pulled out her makeup kit and tried it on himself. The result just wasn't pretty or scary in her opinion.

Her laughter faded when the ground below began to tremble. Naruto shut her eyes as the ice cracked, splitting into half as the stream from the Fire Nation ship screeched, signaling that the Fire Nation was coming to them. A huge shadow loomed over them and the blonde darted her eyes at Sokka.

Her friend froze at the sight of the shadow and Naruto inhaled. Dimly she could hear Katara yelling at her and Sokka to move out of the way, but her eyes were still fixated on Sokka. _He is terrified._ That was the only thing Naruto could think of and without a second thought, she grabbed the collar of his shirt and jumped down from the walls.

_Just in time._ Naruto dropped Sokka on the ground as the large ship pierced through the walls surrounding the village. The walls crumbled into tiny pieces and the snow tumbled to the ground. The ship stopped moving and Naruto reached into the pocket of her pants, where her kunai sat.

The ship stopped shrieking and it wasn't long before the ship bowsprit opened. Naruto straightened her back while the villagers huddled together. She doesn't need to look at them to know they were scared. She could feel their fear from all where she stood and Naruto turned her head around.

"I will protect you guys!" Naruto declared, flashing them a large smile. Kanna took a step forward, blue eyes widening while Katara opened her mouth. Whatever Katara wanted to say, it had to wait because her ears picked up the sound of soldiers marching straight to them.

Several soldiers came out from the door, their shoulders straights and their masked faces never once looked at them. _I guess they aren't the leader._ The leader always had to look different from the foot soldiers or so Naruto guessed. She chewed on her bottom lip as a boy, probably not that much older than her, marched down the bowsprit.

_So much anger._ That was another thing that stood out to Naruto about the boy, alongside the burnt mark on his face. Did he get in battle? It would be kind of cool. But the one thing that really got her attention was his golden eyes. She had never seen eyes like his before_._ She shook her head and grinded her teeth together. Not the time for her to think about looks.

She had people to protect.

"Where are you hiding him!" The leader demanded. His golden eyes narrowed at them and the villagers glanced at each other before glancing at her. Sokka tightened his grip on the spear. _Protect everyone even the sexist jerk._ Naruto took another deep breath, grabbed the younger boy by the collar and kicked him towards his sister and grandmother.

"Naruto—"

"You are a weakling." Naruto explained, rolling her eyes at Sokka. She turned her head back to the leader and tilted her head to the side. "Are you looking for a man? Because if you are, then you can see we have no men here…unless you consider Sokka a man. In that case, what do you want with a weak guy like Sokka?"

The leader's eyebrows twitched and his nostrils flared. "I want to know where is the Avatar."

Naruto tilted her head to the side and gave him a smile. "No idea."

It wasn't a lie since she didn't know where Aang was. For all she knew, he might be flying to his home or heading straight to the Earth Kingdom.

"I don't believe you! I know you people are hiding him." He snarled.

"It's your loss." Naruto shrugged and clasped her hands over her head. "I would offer for you to check the tents but why bother? You are going to be wasting your time if you checked the tents, so you should leave before I beat the living shit out of you."

The golden-eyed boy stared at her with a scowl playing on his lips. His eyes screamed of arrogance as if he believed he could beat her in a fight and that made Naruto bristled. She knew what made him believe she was weaker than him. She was shorter than him. She looked so fragile that she needed only one good punch to hurt her.

But he was stupid if he based his beliefs on her looks.

Flames erupted from the leader's hand, dancing above her head and getting dangerously close to the heads of one of the villagers. Bright blue eyes widened as the villagers behind her screamed and cried. _Asshole._ Blood rushed to her ears and Naruto grinded her teeth together.

"You shouldn't have done that." Naruto whispered, blue eyes darkening. She grinded her teeth together, curled her hands into a fist and hurled a punch against the boy's face. She could hear his bones cracked as her fist smashed against his face. Silence reined throughout the village as the golden-eyed boy was sent flying a couple of feet away from them.

Everyone gazed at her and the blonde raised her hands. "I warned him and he didn't follow it."

Naruto reached for her pocket as the soldiers glanced at each other. Her finger nipped something sharp and Naruto pulled out the weapon from her pocket before scanning the area. There were six other soldiers. If they were anything like the leader then it should be easy for her to beat them.

With her speed, it should be easy for her to give them quick deaths.

"You have two options," Naruto declared, holding out her kunai as her eyes locked onto the leader of the ship. The boy clutched his face, golden eyes narrowing at her like he couldn't believe she dared to punch him, and pushed himself up from the ground. "Either you leave this place with your heads intact or I kill you."

The young man eyed her and stared at his soldiers. "You wouldn't do it."

"Do you really want to try me?" Naruto asked, giving him a smile as she tossed the kunai up and down. It was probably dangerous to try and juggle a kunai but if it would get the message across, who cares right? Well Kakashi-sensei would but he wasn't here to scold her. "I can kill every single one of your soldiers with my eyes closed."

The leader did not smile or snort at her words. If anything his golden eyes flashed with uncertainty and fear like he was almost concern for the well-being of his soldiers. Naruto paused, grabbing her kunai by the hilt. Throughout her time here, Sokka and Katara kept talking about how the people of the Fire Nation was bad.

But could they be bad if they care about their friends and teammates? Because only really bad people wouldn't care about the lives of the people under their case. The leader couldn't be that bad.

"I will leave but with only one condition." The boy declared.

_He does realize what is happening right?_ Naruto lowered her kunai as the villagers began to whisper to each other. She had the power here, not him. If she was a proper kunoichi then she wouldn't have to hear what he had to say. But he piped her curiosity and like a cat, Naruto wanted to know what he had to say.

"What is the condition?" Naruto asked, tilting her head to the side.

The boy eyed the villagers and flickered his eyes at her. "You become my sparring partner."

"And why would I agree to that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him. For a brief moment, no one said anything. No one moved. The only thing that gave any hint to what the boy was thinking was the way he knitted his eyebrow together. He darted his eyes to the soldiers, took a deep breath and scowled.

"I will have this tribe under my protection." He offered her.

It sounded too good to be true.

"And how do I know you will keep to your offer?" Naruto asked. From the corner of her eye, Naruto could see the villagers trembling and looking at her with wide eyes. She pressed her lips into a thin line. They might be terrified of the Fire Nation but she wasn't scared of them. Nothing could be more scarier than fighting Orochimaru if you asked her.

The leader scowled. "I gain nothing if I don't keep to my offer."

Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line and flickered her eyes to the villagers. They shook their heads at her, almost pleading for her not to go with him but it was her choice to make. She darted her eyes to the cliff, channeling her chakra to her eyes to have one last final look of the cliff that she used to overlook.

Her lips parted at the sight of Aang rushing towards them, hands opening some kind of weird tool, and Naruto took another deep breath.

She had to take a leap of faith and protect the village alongside Aang.

"You got yourself a deal."

If there was only one benefit from this deal, she was going to be free from the cold.

* * *

**A/N:- For the people that are curious to know why Naruto would help Zuko, I hope that this chapter explained what made her decide to help him. I hope that you like the interactions between the characters.**

-**Please do let me know if there are any errors or if you find the characters too out-of-character.**

**STLHero.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N**: **I just want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows.**

* * *

The skies were colored with golden hues and shades of orange as the sun lowered itself from the sky. It would have been a beautiful evening in Naruto's eyes if it were not for the fact she was standing on the deck of the Fire Navy Ship, surrounded by so many men and their weapons.

Almost all of the men wore some kind of mask with only a few men showing their face to her. _They must be the top dogs_. Her blue eyes took in their weary faces, noticing the tiredness and coldness in their eyes. She traded a cold place filled with warm people to be in a warm place filled with cold people.

_Well maybe not all of them seemed cold._

There was an elderly man, who had amber eyes filled with so much warmth and curiosity. _He looks almost weak._ Naruto paused at the thought and recalled Kakashi-sensei words to her and the other members of her team. _Look underneath the underneath._ She chewed on her bottom lip and stared at the old man.

He might be stronger than he looked.

"You went out there to get the Avatar but you came back with a very pretty girl," the elderly man commented, taking another step forward. His amber eyes fixated on her blond hair, looking at it with a familiarity that made Naruto pause. Had they met before? She would definitely remember someone with such a strange eye color. He turned to Zuko. "You are finally acting like a boy your age."

The scarred teen, who stood right beside her, bristled at the man's words. His nostrils flared and there was so much tension in his shoulders that Naruto wouldn't have blink if he hit the old man. From in front of her, the soldiers glanced at each other before flickering their eyes at her.

"I didn't bring her because of her exotic looks, Uncle." Zuko growled. He glared at the soldiers before flickering his eyes at her. Naruto only tilted her head. Was she supposed to be happy? Should she be embarrassed? She didn't know. All she could do was shrug her shoulders. "I brought her in because we made a deal."

"A deal?" His uncle asked, raising an eyebrow. He tilted his head and stroked his greying beard as his amber eyes flickered to her. "And what type of deal did you make with her, Prince Zuko?"

_Did he just say Prince?_ Naruto blinked and blinked as her mind tried to process what the old man had just said. Finally, when her mind finally caught up to what had just said, she swirled her body around and yelled. "You are a Prince? You?"

Zuko's eyebrow twitched and he balled his hands into a fist, nostrils flaring at her words. "And what does that mean? Of course I'm a Prince!"

"It means I can't believe an asshole like you is a Prince!" Naruto explained, throwing her hands up in the air. The other soldiers took a few steps backwards as the teen grinded his teeth at her. Weren't Princes supposed to be charming? Kind? Gentle? And all that bullshit Sasuke's mother would read to her and Sasuke when they had been kids.

"Do you know who you are talking to!" He roared. "You can't call me an asshole!"

"I can call you whatever I want!" Naruto snarled right back. She clenched her hands into a fist and tried to steady her trembling shoulders. "You are an asshole! You knew those civilians were terrified and threatened them with their lives! How does that make you a Prince!"

The boy bristled and clenched his jaws. "Do you believe that all Princes are like those stories? This is real life! And I'm not some charming Prince!"

"Stories are just stories but I thoughts Princes don't act like assholes in front of civilians!" Naruto grinded her teeth together and narrowed her eyes at the boy. Zuko did not even flinch at her words, only scowling even more. "I thought Princes knew how to control their temper and be kind! If anything, I'm certain you are going to be the most hated guy in the world."

"Do you know who I am!"

"Yeah, a pain in the ass." Naruto retorted. She clenched her hands into an even tighter fist as Zuko grinded his teeth together at her comment. It really would not surprise her if he wanted to punch her for the comment. _One of these days, your mouth is going to get us into even bigger trouble._ That had been Sakura-chan words.

Sasuke used to snort at those words.

She shook her head and flickered her eyes to the other soldiers. The men only coughed, looking away from her. Cowards. If they thought her words were funny then they should laugh. The bastard made a deal with her because he thought she would kill them. If Naruto were in their shoes, she would let him know it was funny.

The elderly man chuckled, only to cough when Zuko turned to him. Clearing his throat, the elderly man looked at her. His amber eyes stared at her blond hair before flickering to the Hitai-ate wrapped around her head. Amber eyes widened and Naruto felt a stirring of hope inside of her.

If this old man recognized her Hitai-ate, then maybe he knew about Konoha and maybe there was a chance she could go home.

"You don't come from any of the Four Nations, do you?" The old man asked, stopping right in front of her. The words hung in the air and Naruto paused. How did she go about this? She should be honest. Maybe he knew how she could go back home to Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan and Sasuke. But she made a deal with the Prince.

She had to honor the deal or else the Southern Water Tribe would have to deal with the action of her selfish choice.

"Does it matter? I made a deal with Mr. Arrogant Prince." Naruto answered, shrugging her shoulders and offering them a large smile. "And I honor my deals."

She would stick around until the war was over.

Either the Fire Nation would win and she would just free them or Aang would save these people. But either way, she was going to leave the Prince and his crew when she was certain the Water Tribe was fully protected.

* * *

"This will be your room."

Naruto bobbed her head as she flickered her eyes to the elderly man that she only came to know was called Iroh. In the one hour he had shown her the ship, she came to realize that the old man was probably one of the warmest people here. Almost everyone in this ship looked at her with such cold eyes. Only this old man looked at her with warm eyes.

"It's cozy." She offered the old man a smile as her blue eyes took in her small room. There was only a bed and a small bedside table but it was fine for her. She just needed a closet for her clothes and things were fine for her. Maybe she should also get some flowers too because those metal walls made it seem too cold.

Iroh hummed a small tune and shook his head. "This is the only room we have available, we weren't expecting a female to come and live here."

She nodded and looked at the flag of the Fire Nation. A part of her wanted to curl her lips into a frown but she stopped herself. As long as she stayed with them, she needed to pretend she was fine with this nation. This was probably going to be hard for her since Kakashi-sensei always told her that she wore her emotions on her sleeve.

But she was going to learn because the Southern Water Tribe needed her to act like this.

"I like it." She slipped her hands into her pockets and smiled even larger. The words coming out of her mouth weren't a lie. Being a shinobi meant she lived in the tents with Sakura-chan and that had been terrible experience for her. God, who knew Sakura-chan could snore? And her apartment in Konoha had been terrible when the Hokage gave it to her. But she made do with it.

It would not be hard for her to make this small room a home for her.

"When we go ashore, we can find some decorations that you can use to decorate the room." Iroh suggested lightly. He darted his eyes to the metal walls, grimacing slightly before looking back at her. Naruto only pressed her lips into a very thin line as her bright blue eyes took in the flag. "This isn't a room for a girl."

Naruto quirked her lips. "And what do you think does a room for a girl looks like?"

"It should be filled with nice decorations," the old man commented lightly. "Not filled with these terrible walls. If I had known that Zuko was going to bring a girl here then I would have tidied the place up."

The cheerfulness of his voice made Naruto pause. It was strange for her to have someone looked at her with this much warmth from the very beginning. It took most of the Southern Water Tribe weeks to look at her like this. _She must be a spirit._ That had been one of the whispers the woman would whisper to each other as she brought them their food.

With her golden hair, bright blue eyes and peach-coloured skin, Naruto understood why they believed she was from another plane.

"To be fair on him, I practically forced him to bring me with him." Cheerfulness leaked out of her tone as Naruto took a seat on the bed. She bounced slightly. Not too soft for her to sink but not to firm the bed wouldn't bounce. She chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as the old man eyed her.

"I figured that out," Iroh chuckled and shook his head. "My nephew isn't the type to bring in a pretty girl for no reason even if she looks very exotic."

Naruto laughed. "For an old man, y'know how to flatter a girl with compliments."

The old man chuckled and shook his head. His eyes shifted to the side, amber eyes softening slightly as if something troubled him. Naruto only knitted her eyebrows. There was something about his eyes that made it seem like he was not really looking at her but at someone else. Tilting her head to the side, Naruto flickered her eyes to her left and then to her right.

Just like she thought, there was no one there.

"So what did you do to make my nephew decide to bring you along?" Iroh asked, tilting his head to the side.

The blonde hummed a small tune as a smile played on her lips. She rubbed the back of her neck, destroying any tension behind her neck as those amber eyes looked at her with curiosity. There was no point for her to lie to him. The soldiers would gossip about what she did, she knew she would do it if she had been in their shoes.

"I threatened to kill all of his men if he didn't leave," Naruto said, shrugging her shoulders. She schooled her expression, not willing to allow the man to know if she would actually go through with it or not. She straightened her shoulders, waiting for the elderly man to laugh and accuse her of being too weak to do it. "And he only agreed to leave if I agree to be his sparring partner."

The old man stroke his beard. "Why would you make a deal with my nephew? Looking at you, I can tell that you don't come from any of the Four Nations yet you still decide to intervene."

"The Southern Water Tribe gave me a home when I lost my way to home." Naruto admitted, looking away from the old man. She rubbed the back of her neck as those amber eyes continued to search her. "And I couldn't live with them without feeling some kind of bond with them, could I? Beside, they have no men to protect them so I did what their men would have done."

"They would have attacked, not make a deal like you did." Iroh stated. "Perhaps you are a lot more softer than you try to be."

Soft? That was not a word people would associate with her. Sure her arms and legs did not have the same scratches or any other indication she was a fighter, but that was the Kyuubi's fault. No matter how many times Naruto trained and trained, her hands could never become as rough as Sasuke or even Sakura-chan at times. _I wish I have your genes!_ That had been Sakura-chan's words.

Her teammate would have never wanted the cause of her soft hands if she knew what was the price.

"What makes you think I'm soft?"

"You made a deal with Prince Zuko instead of just going through with your threat," Iroh pointed out. His amber eyes locked into her and for the first time since they met, Naruto could feel the power radiating from him. That stance in his body told her that he wasn't some fragile old man but a man to be feared like the Third Hokage. "If you were a cold-hearted killer then you wouldn't make a deal, but you somehow knew Zuko would agree to your terms."

Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as Iroh stared at her. His amber eyes questioned her about what made her think to make a deal with that angry Prince. She leaned her body to her right foot, flickering her eyes to the shut door before going back to the curious old man standing right in front of her. She let out a small sigh.

"Even though he was furious, the asshole kept his composure when he threw those flames." Naruto stared at the elderly man, who nodded his head. "If he avoids hurting civilians then he can't be a complete bastard. I mean he must have a heart somewhere down there, so I just decided to threaten his soldiers. I mean if he reacts like that to civilians then I can figure out what he does with his soldiers."

The old man let out a huge laugh and his amber eyes twinkled with mirth. Naruto only knitted her eyebrows, uncertain of what had been funny about her words. He did ask her how she knew Zuko would agree to her terms, didn't she? It wasn't like she gambled with these people lives. She could read people even if Sakura-chan thought she was blind to people's feelings.

Honestly how could she not learn how to read people with the life she lived.

"You are probably one of the few people, who can see the good in my nephew."

Naruto only knitted her eyebrows together as the old man strolled out of the room, leaving her alone to ponder over what the old man had just told her.

* * *

It had been hours since Naruto left the village and Katara still could not believe her friend was gone just like that. Every time she turned around, she expected to see the girl strolling through the village with a smile on her face as she patted the hairs of the little kids. But she wasn't there anymore. Her friend wasn't here because she made a deal.

It wasn't right.

Naruto should have never made that deal for them. Her friend did not know much about the world and still had no idea of what she had signed up for. Katara clenched her hands into a fist as her blue eyes fixated on the ocean that seemed to be mocking them. This was all their fault. If Naruto felt like they could take care of themselves, then she would have never gone.

"We have to get to that ship, Sokka!" Her brother did not seem to pay much attention, only picking up some items and putting it somewhere else. She clenched her jaws. Was this really the time for her brother to do this? Naruto had done what he always claimed to do if the Fire Nation came here. "Are you even listening Sokka? Naruto made a deal to protect this village and we are going to just abandon her! She doesn't know anything about the Fire Nation!"

"Katara, I—"

"She didn't just protect your village." Katara blinked and swirled her body around, blue eyes growing wide at the sight of Aang standing before them. He looked down on his feet as Sokka paused, dropping his items onto the icy ground. Silence hung around them as the boy patted his bison. "She also protected me and Appa."

Sokka eyed Aang. "What do you mean? And why are you here? Didn't I tell you to leave!"

"I was about to leave but then Naruto's words got to me," Aang admitted, closing his eyes. "And then your words came too about the Fire Nation. I'm not really sure but I think Naruto knew the truth about me because how else could she know to call me a coward?"

Katara knitted her eyebrows while Sokka looked at her with raised eyebrows. She bristled. That look in his eyes was all she needed to know that her brother believed because she was a girl, she would know what went through Naruto's mind. But Naruto was always so different from everyone. While the villagers prided their females to be soft-spoken and feminine, their friend just did what she wanted to do.

Her Gran-Gran would make a joke and say Naruto could have been an airbender with her behaviour.

"What do you mean?" Katara finally asked, clearing her throat. "What does Naruto know about you that you haven't told us?"

Aang hunched his shoulders but did not say a single word. His eyes only kept flickering from her to her brother, looking so hesitant and defeated that Katara could only knit her eyebrows. Her brother simply clenched his hands into a fist, eyebrows twitching at the lack of answer. She guessed her brother was going to explode soon. Even though Naruto and Sokka argued at times, they were friends.

If friends meant that Naruto kept messing with her brother.

"She must have known that I'm the Avatar."

Blue eyes widened at those words while Sokka blinked and blinked, jerking his head at the boy. They waited for a couple of seconds but the lack of smile on his face meant those words were true. Katara felt her legs wobbled as her mind processed those words. She was not really certain of what to feel. Happy? If Aang was the Avatar then he could defeat the Fire Nation and the whole war would be over. Upset? Because they wouldn't be in this situation if Aang had been out here.

Wait, if he was the Avatar then what was he doing here in the South Pole?

"Aang, if you are the Avatar then what were you doing here?"

"We can question the Avatar later, right now we need to go and save Naruto." Sokka declared, drawing their attention to him. He picked up his bag and gestured to the canoe. Several items were neatly packed up, stacked up to the corner and Katara only blinked. This whole time her older brother had been packing for the trip, not to go fishing for food. "Who knows what the Fire Nation is doing to her."

"You are really going to—"

"She shouldn't have done my job for me! I could have scared those bastards away if she hadn't kicked me out of the way!"

That was the beginning of their very first adventure.

* * *

**A/N: I am sorry for the shortness of this chapter but the next chapter would be longer, I promise. What do you think of the interaction between Naruto and Zuko as well as the interaction between Naruto and Iroh? I hope you enjoyed the interactions between them.**

**Do you think Naruto shouldn't have called call Aang a coward in the previous chapter? And do you think Naruto was right to believe that there is some good in Zuko from the very beginning? Or do you think she took a big risk with what she did in the previous chapter?**

**Please do review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**

**STLHero**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows.**

* * *

"So where are we heading off to?"

Naruto tilted her head and pushed her food back and forth as her blue eyes flickered between Zuko and Iroh. It was nearly dinner time but not once did anyone mention about the next course of action. If anything, the old man was eating his rice like he had never seen it before while wrinkles formed around Zuko's forehead.

Minutes passed and still neither of the fire benders answered her question.

_It will be nice to know what I've signed up for._ Naruto puffed her cheeks and hunched her shoulders, dropping her head slightly. Chopsticks dropped onto the table and a clap echoed throughout the dinning hall, drawing everyone's attention away from their food. Naruto looked up, blue eyes widening at the sight of Iroh looking at Zuko.

"Naruto asked a very good question, Prince Zuko." Iroh cleared his throat and darted his eyes at the other members of the crew. Most of the crew members flushed a light shade of red as they tore their eyes away from Naruto's bright blond hair. "The South Pole didn't have the Avatar like you have hoped."

Zuko tightened his grip on the chopsticks, nostrils flaring at those words. If Naruto did not know any better, she would believe he was furious and he was. She might not be empathetic like Sakura-chan but his anger rolled off of him in waves alongside frustration. Why was he so frustrated? She could only guess the reason.

"And why should I answer the question?" Zuko grunted. "I don't answer to her."

"But I wanna know!" Naruto grumbled, putting her hand on the stool and bouncing in her seat. Iroh's eyes bounced with her movements while Zuko grunted. "I mean are we going to go to one of the Earth Kingdoms? I have never seen them before! Oh! Is it true that they have a city surrounded by walls? And what is the weather like?"

She slowed down in her movements and made her eyes as large and child-like as possible. _When you make your eyes like this, you make it hard for me to scold you._ That had been the Hokage's words whenever Naruto tried to weasel her way out of trouble. If it could work for an old man like the Hokage, then it could work on these men.

What she lacked in looks, Naruto knew she made it up with personality.

The crew frowned and blinked, looking at her like they didn't know whether to believe she was joking or not with her questions. Zuko, on the other hand, only scowled even more. _He is a real sourpuss._ With the way he scowled and screamed, Naruto believed it would be a miracle if he ever get a girlfriend.

Even if he had such pretty eyes and some ounce of goodness, that scowl was going to scare a lot of girls.

Only Iroh chuckled at her questions, shaking his head and flickering his eyes to the side.

"How did you end up in the South Pole without passing by some Earth Kingdom's village?" Zuko asked, raising a single eyebrow at her. The scowl on his face deepened and those golden eyes glinted with a suspicion that made her body sweat slightly as a memory played in her mind.

"_Konoha won't make me stronger, Dobe."_

Those words whispered in her mind as dead black eyes flashed before her eyes. Even though it had been nearly three years since it happened, her heart still ached for what happened. She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to smile even when Iroh looked at her with concern.

It was strange for him to give so much concern for a stranger like her but Naruto guessed it came from kindness or empathy as the Hokage would tell her. _But I'm not going to talk about what happened to a bunch of strangers._ She forced herself to smile even harder at them.

Minutes passed and Naruto knew she had to come up with an excuse.

"I can row for a very long time without taking any breaks." She sipped on her tea as her blue eyes focused on Zuko, daring him to contradict her words. Zuko narrowed his eyes, suspicion lilting up his features, and picked up an empty plate from Iroh's side.

He threw the plate at her and Naruto held her hand up, catching the plate without a single flinch. Her eyebrows twitched. "What the hell was that for?"

"You aren't a bender." He commented.

Naruto rolled her eyes and scowled. "You coulda ask me if I'm a bender or not! Didn't your nanny teach you that you don't throw plates to your allies?"

"You could have lied." Zuko counterargued, bristling. "For all I know, you might be an airbender! Only people from the Air Nomads would wear a shade of orange like your parka!"

"Have you ever thought I might like the color orange?" She folded her arms against her chest, earning a scowl from the boy. What did her favorite color has to do with the air nomads? Couldn't a person wear orange because they like it? This sounded like discrimination! Sakura-chan once explained the term to her when Naruto asked about one of the smaller villages they had seen.

Iroh cleared his throat and nodded. "Orange is a beautiful colour."

"It's an awesome colour that doesn't deserve being disrespected and discriminated by Mr. Angry Pants!" Naruto grumbled, puffing her cheeks.

The crew members chuckled at her words, only to cover their mouths when Zuko swirled his head at them. He glared so hard at those poor crew members that Naruto wondered if it was possible if he could burn them with his eyes. _He is going to get some wrinkles._ The thought almost brought a chuckle out of her but Naruto stifled it.

"Don't call me that!" Zuko snarled, swirling his head back at her. "You will call me Prince—"

"Prince Angry Pants?" She asked sweetly, biting her tongue from letting out a laugh. Zuko's eyebrows twitched as flames erupted from his nostrils. Should she flinch? Judging from the widened eyes of the other soldiers, not flinching was not the reaction she should have given.

Compared to fighting Gaara and Orochimaru, Zuko was like a little kitten.

He probably needed some love, care and whatever bullshit Sakura would tell her.

"Naruto probably wouldn't call you that if you just give a smile once a while." Iroh suggested lightly, taking a sip of his tea. Zuko glowered at those words and the white-haired man picked up a fan, waving it against his face while the soldiers inched away from them. It seemed like everyone believed the Prince was just ticking timebomb. "They say a smile can ease your soul."

"Capturing the Avatar will do that for me! Not some stupid smile!" Zuko argued.

Naruto picked up her tea and took a sip of her tea. "You won't know that if you don't try!"

Iroh nodded his head in agreement, looking faintly amused at her words, while Zuko snarled at her. The way those eyes narrowed at her told her that the Prince didn't have any faith in her words. A scowl almost appeared on her lips but the blonde pushed it away, plastering on a smile.

A smile was always going to be enough for her to keep her faith.

(Nothing would ever stop her smiling even if she had no choice but to spar with a Prince that doesn't even try to show her the goodness that she saw inside of him that she saw in the village).

* * *

_That girl is really strange._

Zuko pressed his lips into a very thin line as he focused his telescope on the roof of the lookout tower. Breakfast was over and done with and instead of being on the ground, waiting for their spar…the girl was trying to balance on the tip of the roof. How the hell could the girl stand without falling, he didn't know.

"It is a nice view, isn't it?" His uncle's voice tinted with amusement and Zuko scowled. He lowered the telescope, swirling his head at his amused uncle. Did the man believe he was like the men here? Just because she looked pretty with her exotic features, did not mean he was going to stare at her like the soldiers.

Beside, her personality made her a pain in the neck.

"I need her to not be on the roof of the lookout tower!" He snarled, clenching his jaws. "She isn't here to have fun! She is here to be my sparring partner!"

His uncle stroke his beard, held his hand out and Zuko handed him the telescope. What the hell was his uncle looking for? It was obvious from her movements that the girl was enjoying herself. _She is always smiling._ It irritated him. How could she smile after making that deal with him? Life must have been easy for her.

It must have been easy if she could tell him that he should try smiling.

"She is training." Iroh commented lightly, putting down his telescope.

Zuko snorted. "Training? She is just balancing on the roof of the watchtower like a hog monkey!"

"Maybe in your eyes," his uncle took a deep breath as his amber eyes glinted with that knowing gleam that he hated so much. "But that girl is doing a training method that neither you nor I can do. She might be a non-bender but that girl is different from you and me."

_I don't understand what you mean._ Zuko scowled and hunched his shoulders as his eyes flickered to the soldiers, who openly gawked at the blond-haired girl. He glared at them before looking back at the tiny figure that was the peasant. The only thing she had going for her was her unbelievable strength and her speed. But other than that, she was just like them.

Maybe even weaker than them because what good was strength and speed when it came to bending?

Zuko pressed his lips into a thin line, ears twitching as the sound of something groaning echoed throughout the skies. What was that? No. His ears might be hearing things again. Another groan echoed and Zuko frowned. He snatched the telescope from his Uncle's hands, turning to the south and gawked.

"What is that?" He yelled, handing the telescope to his uncle. He stiffened as something rustled behind him. Amber eyes narrowed as a slender figure's shadow loomed right beside him. _How can she jump down from all the way there without being a bender?_ He scowled and turned his whole body around, only to freeze at the sight of Naruto.

In the one day he came to know the girl, there was not a single smile playing on her lips. Those blue eyes hardened, not looking anything like the sky but more of the ocean. Her small hands balled into fists and Zuko inched away from the girl, recalling how hard her punch could be.

"You know what it is."

The girl pressed her lips into a thin line but did not dare deny or admit. Instead she leaned her body to the side, darting her eyes from him and his uncle before looking back at the flying beast coming on the way. "It is an animal."

"Do you think I don't know that is an animal!" He snarled. "Tell us what that it is."

Time passed and the girl only clenched and unclenched her hands. It would only be ten minutes, maybe even less before that large beast came towards them and Zuko had no desire to hurt the beast. But he would do it if the beast was going to destroy his only ship.

"I think it might be a flying bison?"

Amber eyes widened as his shoulders twitched. He heard of those creatures. The Air Nomads used to use them just like how the Fire Benders used to ride the dragons before the Fire Nation killed every single of them. But how could she know? The girl claimed she didn't come from any of the Four Nations and had never even been outside the Southern Water Tribe.

But if a flying bison existed then an Air Nomad was alive and that meant the Avatar was here.

That girl lied to them!

"You told me that the Avatar wasn't in the village." He spat the words out and the golden-haired girl did not flinch or inch away from him. For a brief moment, she said nothing. She did not move. The only hint of her reaction was the twitchiness of her eyebrows alongside the flare in her nostrils.

"And I was being truthful," she answered, spatting the words out as the creature got closer and closer to their ship. "The flying bison belonged to an Air Nomad, who just wandered his way to the village."

His temper rose. The vein on his forehead throbbed as he realized that the girl tricked him into making a deal with him. She must have thought he was a fool and he was one. Why should he honour their deal if that girl lied to him? He clenched his jaws together and straightened his back.

"You should have mentioned it!" He screamed. "That Air Nomad was the Avatar!"

He should have never trusted her and just followed his instincts when she claimed that he wouldn't find the Avatar here.

"And what makes you think that he is the Avatar?" She asked, frowning and tilting her head. Her blue eyes largened, looking so child-like that Zuko almost faltered slightly before shaking his head. "Just because he is an Air Nomad, doesn't mean I will jump to the conclusion that he is the Avatar!"

"The Air Nomads are extinct! It is only fair to believe—"

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, putting her hands on her slender waist and Zuko blinked. The girl chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes darted from him to the frozen soldiers before going back to him. "Wouldn't it be possible for one of the Air Nomads to escape and live in another country? Or for the spirits to correct the wrong that your people committed?"

_No, it is not possible!_ The words were on the tip of his tongue, ready for him to shoot at her but then he paused. The spirits would try and keep balance in the world, wouldn't they? He heard whispers of what the spirits could do. It would be possible for them to do this, wouldn't they?

He scowled and cursed under his breath before looking up at the flying bison that now loomed over them. A war cry echoed throughout the sky as the winds pushed upwards, pushing his hair upwards and the scent of the oranges tickled his nostrils.

There was only one thought running through his mind as three people jumped down.

_This girls brings more trouble than she was worth._

* * *

"Naruto, we are here to rescue you!"

Naruto breathed in and out as Katara yelled out those words to her. Both Sokka and Katara stood right in front of her with their eyes filled with so much hope as Zuko charged straight to Aang, sending blasts of fire to the airbender. The blonde hunched her shoulders, body trembling as her two friends came closer to her.

She clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to control her temper but she could feel her anger bubbling over those words.

_I don't need them to rescue me!_ The words were on the tip of her tongue, ready to shoot at them but Naruto just shut her eyes as tight as she could. It was sweet. They didn't want to abandon her in this cold ship so she should just smile and thank them. But they risked everything and not in the good way.

_The villagers…_

She gulped down the lump in her throat as her eyes focused on her friends. Hope shone through their eyes alongside eagerness. Her shoulders hunched and the blonde exhaled, slumping her shoulders.

"Why?" _Why would they risk their home for me?_ Naruto looked down at the metal floor, tracing the screws with her eyes. Chewing on her bottom lip, the blonde crouched down to the floor and rubbed the sides of her forehead as the two teens stared at her with confusion. Zuko's shrill shouts vibrated through the ships alongside the wind shrieking, making it hard for her to think properly.

Sokka frowned. "Because the Fire Nation is—"

"Did I tell you that I wanted to be rescued!" She yelled, smashing her fist against the ship. The whole ship wobbled, tilting to the left. The soldiers shriek as they fell over the water. Naruto winced but focused her eyes on her two friends, who just blinked back at her.

"But there is no need for the deal anymore!" Katara reasoned. She darted her eyes to Aang, who was now evading Zuko's fire blasts, and then back at her. "Aang is the Avatar and—"

"And so what?" Naruto jumped up on her feet, placing her hands on both sides of her waist. She narrowed her eyes at her friends, who flinched and glanced at each other with confusion. "You think I'm going to leave because Aang is the Avatar? That isn't going to happen! I made a deal and I keep to my deals!"

Sokka shook his head. "You can break it, Naruto! That deal won't mean much once Aang defeats the Fire Lord!"

_But it is breaking my promise._ The blonde hunched her shoulders and scowled. _You should always keep your promise, Naru-chan!_ The Hokage's words echoed in her ear as Naruto stared at the bright blue eyes of her friends. No matter what Sokka or Katara say to her, she had to honor the deal that she made.

Promises should always be honored even if you couldn't remember them or fulfill them.

"_What do you know? You never had a family!"_

Those words were the reason she made that deal and she had to make sure Katara and Sokka understood.

"I'm doing what I can to protect your home!" She yelled, hunching her shoulders. Silence hung in the air and the wind seemed to have stop whistling, signaling that Aang stopped trying to fight with Zuko. From the corner of her eyes, Naruto could see Zuko staring at her from a kneeling position on the ground. "Do you realize what leaving this ship will mean for your home? I have no way to go back home but I'm not letting you lose your home!"

"_Why did he do it, Naruto?"_

Naruto took in another deep breath. Her eyes burned but the blonde held back the tears that threatened to come out. Not the time for her to think about the past. She couldn't save the Uchiha Family but she could save the Southern Water Tribe. Why couldn't they understand this? She had no parents or grandparents to worry about her or for her to miss, but it was different for her friends.

"Naruto…" Sokka's voice trailed off.

Naruto clenched her hands into a fist, fingernails digging into the palm of her hand. She was so furious. Furious enough she could feel the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out of her but she held it in. No matter how furious she was, Naruto needed to think of how to save her friends. She looked up at the flying bison before glancing at her two friends.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto channeled her chakra to her legs and charged straight to the two teens. Before the two teens could blink, Naruto grabbed them by the hood of their parka and tossed them up to the sky. The flying bison flew upwards, no doubt trying to capture the two teens before they crashed to the ocean.

It had to be done if you asked her.

"Why did you hurt them? They tried to rescue you!" Aang asked, knitting his eyebrows together as he walked closer to her.

Naruto grinded her teeth together. "The three of you don't understand what going with you means for the village! If I leave with you, Katara and Sokka then what happens to the Southern Water Tribe? They have no protection if I go with you and I'm not risking people's lives to go with you!"

Aang took a step forward. "But…"

"Go or I will be forced to take you in!" She snarled, narrowing her blue eyes and waving her hand at him. Aang flinched and looked up at the sky before looking back at her. Zuko pushed himself up, curling his hand into a fist and a huge blast of fire flew straight to the preteen. With one last look at her, Aang smashed his staff on the ground, dispelling the fire, and leap up in the air.

Naruto dropped down to her knees and looked up at the fading bison.

All she could wonder…

What was going to happen next?

* * *

**A/N: I hope that all of you like this chapter. **

**What do you think of the interactions in this chapter? And of the flow of the story in this chapter? Here is a question for you: how do you think that Naruto came up with that excuse of the Air Nomads? And do you think that the Four Nations and the Elemental Nations are in the same universe? Why? And why not?**

**Please review and tell me of your thoughts on this chapter.**

**STLHero**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**A/N: I just want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows.**

* * *

"You just had to damage my ship and let him get away!"

Naruto offered a sheepish smile to Zuko as they walked down from ship bowsprit. It had been a few days since Aang, Katara and Sokka disappeared, leaving her alone with a furious prince and his amused uncle, and only now they were able to get to the nearest Fire Nation Port for some well-deserved repairs.

The three of them stopped walking as the other ships whistled and hooted. Naruto wrinkled her nose, tensing up as smoke climbed up into her nostrils. _This had to be bad for the environment._ All that dust, smoke and burning smell was just too much for her nose to handle. How could these people live with this terrible scent?

Maybe they had something to disguise that disgusting scent.

"I had to get them to listen," the blonde shrugged and offered him a smile. "And that seemed to be the only way to get them to pay any attention to me. How was I supposed to know that this big chunk of metal can't handle my punch?"

Zuko scowled. "You did it on purpose! You knew the whole time that _he_ was there."

"Got any proof?" She retorted. "I didn't lie to you."

He growled. "The proof was in the way they came to rescue you."

"Did anyone ever tell you if you keep growling and scowling that you are going to get more wrinkles than Iroh?" Naruto smiled even wider and let out a chuckle when the boy froze. She hummed a small tune, looking at the position of the sun before looking back at Zuko. The prince walked over to the water, kneeling down and touching his face.

_I guess all nobilities care about their appearances._

Iroh coughed and shook his head as Zuko swirled his head at her, eyebrow twitching at her obvious lie. She held her hands up, quirking her lips into a smile before looking at the dock before her. No plants surrounded them. The only thing surrounding them was nothing but metal. _It's so cold._ Even though the soldiers wore shades of red and gold, it was not enough to make the place warm.

"_This place is vile."_ Naruto blinked and her lips twitched into a tiny smile. With those words, she could imagine the Kyuubi wrinkling his nose and holding his head high up like he was the king of the world. _Or the spirits_. She paused, chewing on her bottom lip as her blue eyes flickered to Zuko and Iroh.

"_Kyuubi, how do you know about the Avatar?"_

She held her breath, hunching her shoulders. Was it possible her home was nearby? But why wouldn't the Kyuubi tell her? _Because he was a selfish ass._ That was a possibility but maybe there was another reason. Naruto couldn't deny the fact she could walk with her head high here. No one looked at her with those cold eyes.

The people were kinder to her here and life here was so much more interesting than her own life in Konoha.

"_I wasn't always sealed up,"_ The Kyuubi answered. "_When I was free to roam the world, I travelled the world in the hopes of learning more about the world."_

Naruto frowned. "_So you aren't a spirit?"_

"_Tch! You wish!"_ The Kyuubi growled. "_If I was a spirit, I would be able to take over your body and destroy you filthy humans for caging me like some kind of animal! I'm the great Kyuubi!"_

_Someone has a big head._ Naruto sighed and ran her hands through her hair before looking down at her orange parka. It was so thick, perfect in the South Pole, but the weather here was different. The sun shone with an intensity that made her want to cover her eyes. There were no cold winds to make her have a desire to wear the orange parka.

"It will be a good idea if we get Naruto a change of clothes," Iroh commented, stroking his beard. Zuko stilted while Naruto jerked her head at the old man. Those amber eyes fixated on the orange parka before rising up to her headband. "You will look wonderful in red."

Zuko scowled. "We didn't come here for her to shop!"

"But if we are here then we must take the opportunity to dress her appropriately." Iroh coughed and eyed the uniformed men before flickering his eyes at Naruto. "We can't let her wear the uniform of the soldiers, not when she is a beautiful girl."

Naruto scowled. "I'm more than happy to wear the uniform of the soldiers! You aren't going to make me wear a dress."

_I will even wear the clothes of the Earth Kingdom's men._ She eyed the outfits of the various women coming out of the ships with their pink robes and ribbons. A scowl played on her lips. Nothing in the world would make her consider wearing those awful outfits. Those were the kind of outfits Sakura-chan and Ino would dream to wear, not her.

She was much more comfortable with pants.

_Who the hell is this asshole?_ Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line as a tall, important-looking man stopped right in front of them. If you were to ask her of what he looked like, she would describe him as looking like a monkey. Honestly who would grow such outrageous sideburns? His dark brown hair touched the corners of his mouth.

The man eyed Zuko than Iroh before landing his eyes on her.

Iroh bowed. "Commander Zhao, what a pleasant surprise."

The commander did not answer, only nodding his head. His beady amber eyes fixated on Naruto, more specifically on her golden hair before moving up to the Hitai-ate around her forehead. Naruto straightened her back, fixing her Hitai-ate, and forced herself to give the man a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, Iroh." The man said with a voice filled with so much fake politeness alongside an icy tone. Naruto clenched her hands into a fist. With that coldness in his eyes, Naruto could almost see the faceless villagers staring back at her. _He is a meanie._ She pressed her lips into a thin line. "I heard your ship was arriving, and felt like it was necessary to meet you myself."

Naruto straightened her back before darting her eyes at Zuko. The prince glared at the commander and the blonde relaxed her shoulders. It was good for her to know she was not the only one who didn't like the man. She plastered on a wider smile when Zhao returned his gaze on her.

"And may I ask…who is this?" Zhao smiled and Naruto could feel her stomach rolling side to side at those amber eyes. "She wasn't with you the last time you came for repairs. I certainly would never forget such an exotic addition to your crew."

_And why don't I punch you?_ The words were on the tip of her tongue as those beady eyes moved from her long blond-hair to her whiskered cheeks before landing on her chest. Iroh coughed, narrowing his eyes slightly at the commander before flickering his eyes to her side and then back to her again.

"Her name is Naruto, Commander."

"An unusual name for an exotic beauty," Zhao commented. "But I suppose it is fitting for such a striking girl. Where exactly did—"

"She isn't important." Zuko interjected, narrowing his eyes at the commander. "We came here for repairs and once that is done, we will be on our way."

"Repairs?" Zhao raised a single eyebrow before glancing at the ship behind them. He blinked and gawked at the huge dent that decorated the vessel. While the man inspected the damage, Zuko threw a glare at her as if blaming her for this situation. The blonde stuck her tongue out, earning a sigh from Iroh.

"What happened?"

"It's my fault," Naruto answered, rubbing the back of her neck and letting out a nervous laugh. Zuko and Iroh glanced at each other, eyebrows knitted together into one thin line. "Angry Pants and I were sparring against each other and well I forgot the strength of my own punch."

The man snorted and looked at both Zuko and Iroh. "Tell me what really happened, you can expect me to believe—"

_Smash._

The three males swirled their heads around, mouths parting open as Naruto blew off the dust from her fist. The ship, just right beside them, crumbled and split right in half as a dent formed on the metal ship. The blonde clapped her hands together, placing it behind her back before looking back at the paled man.

"Don't believe me now?"

The commander cleared his throat. "Well it seems like you have a wonderful new addition with you. In this case, I must insist that the three of you have a drink with me. I wish to hear about your search for the Avatar, not to mention how you came upon Naruto."

Zuko's face turned a furious shade of red and he opened his mouth to say something, only to wince when Iroh stomped on the boy's foot.

"We would be honored, Commander."

That made only one of them.

* * *

_These people really like red._

Naruto darted her eyes at the various red decorations surrounding her as she shifted around in the cushion, trying and failing to find a position that made her feel comfortable. She flexed her fingers as Zhao knelt down, pouring her a cup of tea before making one to Zuko. _Isn't this a sign of disrespect?_ Naruto chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes darted to Zuko.

The boy sat still, almost resembling a stone with the lack of movement, and the only sign of his feelings was the occasional flare of his nostrils. His golden eyes fixated on the fire as if debating whether or not to burn the whole tent or not. _If I knew any fire release jutsu then I would do it._ She pressed her lips into a thin line as Zuko turned to look at her.

After a minute, she looked away and picked up the tea. _Ginseng._ Her lips almost quirked into a smile as the laughter of her childhood echoed in her ear. Ginseng had been Hinata-chan's favorite tea. Until now, her tongue hadn't touched a single drop of tea. She never liked tea. It just tasted like hot water with some flavor thrown in it.

_A kunoichi must learn the art of tea-making even if you dislike it._

"So how is your search for the Avatar going?"

There was a mocking tone in Zhao's voice as those amber eyes glinted with mischief. Naruto paused, placing the cup of tea closer to her mouth, and inspected the commander. That sardonic glint in those eyes brought a chilling sensation in her spine like Katara threw a bucket of cold water on her.

"We haven't found the Avatar." Zuko picked up the tea, fixating his eyes on Zhao. Naruto found her frown deepening as Zhao snorted, not looking one bit surprised by the response. _Why is he keeping his findings a secret?_ She would have been overjoyed to mention the Avatar was found.

Zhao snorted. "Did you expect to find him? The Avatar died a hundred years ago."

"The Avatar could have been reincarnated." The commander turned his attention away from Zuko and fixated his eyes on her. Naruto took a sip of her tea, smiling at the older man in front of her. "Just because the Fire Nation killed all of the Air Nomads, doesn't mean the spirits would stop the Avatar coming out. The spirits would like to correct the mess your people made."

Zhao's eyebrows twitched. "Did your parents ever teach you not to interrupt when two men talk?"

"My parents are dead." Naruto answered, dropping her cup on the table. "So you can blame the streets for my _amazing_ manners."

She kept her voice light and easy, offering them a bright smile as her heart ached for the parents that she never knew. If spirits really existed then would it be possible for her to travel to the spirit world? Naruto flickered her eyes at Iroh. He was old. He probably knew if there was a way for her to go there.

"And where did your parents come from?" Zhao asked, tilting his head.

The blonde shrugged. "Not from any of the Four Nations if that is your question."

Iroh cleared his throat and darted his eyes from the weapons surrounding them before flickering his eyes at her. It was not long before he focused his eyes on Zhao. "I believe where Naruto comes from shouldn't be of any importance to you, Commander Zhao."

"Perhaps the Avatar is hiding in her country." Zhao suggested, eyeing the Hitai-ate around her forehead. Naruto juggled her Hitai-ate, adjusting it till it rested comfortably on her forehead. "Neither of you mentioned where this exotic beauty comes from."

"And this exotic beauty is going to pull out her kunai and stilt his throat if he doesn't call me by my name! What am I? All looks and no strength! I punched that ship so that name goes away." Naruto muttered under her breath, puffing a piece of her blond hair away from her face. Zuko coughed, covering his mouth, and the blonde swirled her head at him.

Did he nearly laugh?

At least someone found some amusement in her misery.

"I hope the three of you realize that the Avatar is the only one that can stop the Fire Nation." Zhao commented, standing up from his seat. Naruto blinked and knitted her eyebrows. When did he change the subject? Not that she wasn't glad. He loomed over them, hands clasped behind his back and amber eyes narrowing at them. "Prince Zuko, if you have an ounce of loyalty left, you will tell me what you have found."

"I haven't found anything." Zuko grinded his teeth, looking away slightly before looking back at the man. He narrowed his eyes at the man. "Like you said, the Avatar died a long time ago."

_He is a terrible liar._ Naruto pressed her lips into a thin line as Zuko pushed himself off of the cushioned-chair. The teen turned his head around, eyebrow raised at her and the blonde guessed that was her cue to walk away. Not that she was disappointed. Anything would be better than this cold tent.

"Uncle, we are going!" Zuko barked and Iroh sighed, pulling his hands away from the impressive spears on display. _I shoulda touch it when I had the chance._ The blonde slumped her shoulders, trailing behind Zuko. She stopped as the flap of the tent rustled. Blue eyes darted everywhere as her hand reached out to the sleeve of Zuko, pulling him to a stop.

_Was that the wind?_ Naruto pressed her lips together and placed her fingers together, focusing on directing her chakra into her ears. Heavy footsteps thundered behind those tents alongside the clear clatter that were weapons. Why would they try to ambush them? The blonde clicked her heels together and swirled her head at Zhao.

The man sat back with a smug look that made Naruto want to punch him. The tent rustled again and three soldiers parted the flap of the tent, standing right in front of the entrance. They placed their spears against each other, forming a cross sign as Zhao strolled right towards them.

The third soldier walked past them, not looking them in the eye as he focused on the smug commander in front of them. "We interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed that the Avatar came, trying to rescue the girl, and then ran away before Prince Zuko could capture them."

Zhao curled his lips into a larger smirk. "Now tell me again, how did the girl damage your ship."

_Well there goes any thought of going to the shops to get some lighter-fabric clothes._

* * *

Naruto wasn't certain how long they were left alone in the tents. With the lack of clocks and windows in Commander Zhao's tents, it was impossible for her to guess how long they had been here. It might have been only twenty minutes or it could have been hours, but it was long enough for her to wiggle in her spot as she tried to figure out where the nearest bathroom was.

With the way those guys kept peacocking, Naruto knew they had to have a decent toilet somewhere.

In that moment the entrance flap of the tent flipped opened, forcing the blonde to stop squirming around in her seat. Her shoulders tingled as Zhao stepped through the entrance flaked by two other soldiers. _For an ass, he really does like parading his subordinates around._ She could just imagine how annoying it might be to work with an arrogant man like Zhao.

"My ship is preparing to leave," Zhao informed them as his amber eyes narrowed at them. "Once I'm out to sea, my guards will escort you back to your ship and you will be free to go."

_I can't believe I'm thinking this but I rather Angry Pants to capture Aang than this asshole._ Naruto clenched her jaws together as her blue eyes narrowed at the man in front of her. With Zuko, she could count on him in having some heart when it came to treating Aang like a person. But this guy was different. He was a real soldiers and soldiers never showed mercy.

"_You can never show mercy in wars, Naruto. The Fourth Hokage did what he had to do to protect Konoha."_

"Y'know it sounds like you are terrified of the idea of letting us go," Naruto commented lightly, shaking her head at the words of the Hokage that echoed in her ears. She flashed him a grin. "Is Monkey Butt worried that Zuko is going to capture the Avatar before you can?"

The man bristled but did not raise to her insult. He only narrowed his eyes at her, lips curled into a scowl as his amber eyes fixated on her bright blond hair. It was not long before his lips curled into a smile, earning a frown from Naruto. He strolled closer to her and knelt down till they were at eye level.

"Prince Zuko will never compare to me," he declared, giving a side-glance at Zuko. "It is impossible for him to capture the Avatar before me."

Zuko jumped from his seat and snarled. "Don't underestimate me, Zhao. "

"I'm not underestimating you, Zuko. I'm going to paint you the reality that is your situation," Zhao drawled with a smirk playing on his face. Zuko froze while Naruto tilted her head with her eyebrows scrunched together. "You have no ship, no soldiers and no honor. How can you possibly hope to accomplish your task? If your father really loved you, he would let you come back without the Avatar."

Time froze as Naruto processed what the man had just said. _He can't go back home…he's exiled._ Her heart ached for a moment but then it faded as her eyes went to Iroh. Unlike her, Zuko wasn't completely alone. He had a loving uncle by his side, which made his journey a lot less lonely if you asked her. She chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes darted to Zuko.

Shame coloured his eyes and Naruto could only tilt her head. What did he do to be exiled by his own father? Did he commit a heinous crime? She chewed on her bottom lip. That was the only explanation she could think of for why a leader would exile his heir. But what could he have done? From her limited interactions with Zuko, she couldn't picture him killing an innocent person.

He did not have that kind of heart if you asked her.

"In the eyes of the Fire Lord, you are a failure." Zhao declared, dropping his smirk. "And a disgrace to the Fire Nation."

_Face it Naruto, you are never going to pass the Genin Exams! You are an idiot._

Naruto clenched her hands into a fist and rose to her feet. "And who are you to call him a failure? What is wrong with being a fucking failure? You learn from your mistakes and grow! Even a failure can outshine a genius!"

"I have every right to call him a failure," Zhao drawled as the guards tried to push her down. The blonde smacked the spears away from her as Zuko stared at her with wide eyes. She inhaled and exhaled, blue eyes darkening as every mocking word thrown at her in the Academy echoed in her ear. "That scar on his face is the proof of that failure."

Naruto narrowed her eyes at him. "What if he can prove you wrong? I bet your ass that he can wipe the floor with you!"

"And what makes you so confident that he can beat me?" The man scoffed. "I have more experience than Zuko and unlike Zuko, I'm a Fire bending master! He will be a fool to challenge me!"

The blonde stilted her eyes. "Maybe you are a fool to underestimate him and not him!"

_She will never beat the genius of the Hyuga Clan!_

She proved them wrong, didn't she?

"Why don't we put it to the test?" Zuko snarled, raising up to his seat. He darted his eyes at her and Naruto blinked, taken back by the lack of rage or emotions in his eyes. She looked away as those amber eyes fixated on her, looking at her with an intensity that made her want to squirm. "If you are so sure that you can beat me, then prove to me that you are stronger than me! I challenge you to Agni Kai, tonight at sunset."

Iroh groaned, barely loud enough for her to hear, and Naruto darted her eyes at him. The smile on his face faded, replaced with a look of concern as it darted from her to Zuko. _I think I might have run my mouth again._ If that smirk on Zhao's face was of any indication alongside that frown from Iroh, an Agni Kai was not a good thing.

_Maybe I should listen to Sakura-chan and keep my mouth shut._

She had a feeling that Iroh was going to give her a scolding of a lifetime for her impulsive comments.

* * *

**A/N: I hope all of you like this chapter.**

**What do you think of this chapter? What do you think of the story so far? Here is another question for you: how do you think Naruto will react when she finds out how Zuko got his scar? And of the interactions between Zuko and Naruto?**

**Please review and tell me of your thoughts on this chapter.**

**STLHero**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**

* * *

"So are you finally going to tell me what is an Agni Kai?"

Naruto tilted her head, blond eyebrows stitched together, and stared at Iroh and Zuko. It had been only twenty minutes since Zuko made the declaration, but not once did they explain to her what the hell was an Agni Kai. She knew it was a challenge but the way Iroh looked at Zuko and Zhao told her that an Agni Kai wasn't a simple challenge.

"It is a ceremonial challenge," Iroh finally answered, taking a seat on the chair. His golden eyes flickered between her and Zuko as if he was uncertain of whether or not to explain the topic further. Naruto frowned, taking a seat on the ground. She crossed her legs and rubbed the back of her neck. "It is a challenge that settles conflict."

"And?" Naruto prompted, arching her eyebrow at him. "If it was something as easy as that then you wouldn't be acting like a mother hen."

Iroh hunched his shoulders and took a deep breath. "An Agni Kai could be a fight to death at times and I fear that Commander Zhao would make this Agni Kai to the death."

_Death?_ Naruto darted her eyes at Zuko but the boy did not react to the words. He did not even twitch at the mention of death. _He accepts it._ The thought chilled her. How could someone not fear death? She rubbed her stomach as a pair of blurred brown eyes flashed before her eyes alongside a bloodied mouth.

Bile rose up to her throat and Naruto shook her head.

"Isn't death too much?" Naruto asked softly.

Iroh stroke his chin. "Not everyone shares your belief, Naruto. There are members of the Fire Nation, who would rather die than live through an Agni Kai."

"What happens if a person lose an Agni Kai?" Naruto hunched her shoulders and fixated her eyes on Iroh. "What could be so bad about losing an Agni Kai? It is just a fight, isn't it?"

Zuko snorted. "Leave it to a _foreigner_ to think it is just a fight! This isn't some fight!"

"What is wrong with being a foreigner?" Naruto snarled, smacking her hands on the ground. Her blue eyes darkened as amber eyes looked at her with fury. "I can't say my own opinion about what I see the Agni Kai as? It is just a battle right? A person can have a rematch, can't they? It is stupid to die over some battle!"

"Naruto, losing a battle like the Agni Kai can affect the honour of the participants." Naruto swirled her head at Iroh and the man does not stare at her. His eyes was locked on Zuko. The Prince had his jaws locked into a tight grip and his hands balled into a tight fist as if he was recalling a bad memory.

_You have no honour._

Commander Zhao's words echoed in her ear and Naruto stared at the older boy. Something nagged at her to ask if Zuko had done it before, but something stopped her. Instead she just tilted her head, fingers dancing along the metal that was Zuko's ship. So many screws hammered down on the floor, almost reminding her of when she watched the carpenters of the village rebuild the buildings that Suna and Oto-nin destroyed.

Orochimaru had no honor when he came back to Konoha, murdering his own teacher in cold-blood.

"Honor shouldn't be decided by a fight," Naruto eyed them and hunched her shoulders. "How can you lose honor from a fight? I can win a fight someone and not respect the damn rules but that would never make me an honourable person. Losing your honor in a fight is just plain stupid and barbaric!"

Zuko eyed her and snarled. "And what would you know about the way of the Fire Nation? You are from a different country."

Iroh rose up from his seat and barked. "Prince Zuko, you shouldn't say those words to her!"

"She called our ways barbaric!" He snarled.

Naruto hunched her shoulders and took in a deep breath, body trembling as she tried to reign in her temper. _You should never disrespect another culture, Naruto!_ She could hear Sakura-chan nagging those words to her but Naruto didn't see what was wrong with calling it out. It was one thing to fight to bring back a stubborn friend but not once did her honour or Sasuke's honor was affected by their fight.

If it did then she would have lost her honor for being too soft.

"Honor comes from how you treat people," Naruto stared at Zuko. "And how you keep your promises. It doesn't come from a stupid fight where people could easily break the rules."

"_He was going to kill her even though the proctor said that the fight was over!"_

She remembered screaming those words in the Chunin Exam. If Hinata-chan had been born in the Fire Nation then her best friend would have lost her so-called honor when she had so much honor. Naruto hunched her shoulders as golden eyes narrowed at her, looking almost hesitant before hardening again.

"I'm going to prepare for the Agni Kai." Zuko growled. He crossed his arms and flickered his eyes at her before looking at Iroh, who does not move an inch from his seat. The boy hunched his shoulders, shaking his head and marched straight to the door that stood only a few meters away from Naruto.

He slammed the door open, nostrils flaring as the door banged against the walls. Naruto winced. Her ears ranged and the blonde slammed her hands over her head. She darted her eyes at Iroh, who only shook his head and pushed himself off of the chair. He walked over to the open door, darting his eyes everywhere, before closing the door.

"You have to forgive my nephew for his bad behavior, Naruto." Iroh commented, offering her an apologetic smile. "My nephew doesn't have an easy life."

The blonde snorted. "So what? I know people who went through worse shit and have better manners than him."

"Are you talking about yourself?" Iroh asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "It must have been terrible for a young girl to live in the streets."

Naruto only offered him a tight smile but chose not to answer the question. Even if the old man looked at her with such sad and understanding eyes, she was not going to open her mouth and spill her life story. _No one cares._ She just leaned her hands against the floors and stared up at the ceiling.

"Angry Pants went through an Agni Kai, didn't he?" She looked at Iroh and crossed her fingers together. If Kami was really real then the old man was not going to question her more about her time in the streets. Until this war was over, she was going to learn everything about the other nations alongside with adapting to this world.

She might be here for a while after all.

Iroh nodded. "He gained that scar from losing an Agni Kai with a… _Firebending Master_."

There was a hesitance in his voice at the word Firebending Master and Naruto eyed the old man. Was he going to say something else? Naruto chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth, as she waited for the old man to elaborate more to her but the old man never did.

He just stared at her.

"When Zuko lost that fight with the Firebending Master, the people of the Fire Nation claimed he had no honor." Iroh informed her. "For you to have a different opinion on honor and calling out of our ways…it brings another perspective."

Naruto doesn't say anything, only dusting the dirt off of her parka before standing up from her seat on the ground. _She will always be a weakling._ She hunched her shoulders as cruel milky eyes flashed before her eyes. Her fingers itched to pummel Neji again for insulting her best friend but he wasn't here.

She taught him a lesson about insulting her best friend in front of her.

"And where are you going?"

Naruto stopped right in front of the door and turned her head around to look at Iroh. The old man had a single eyebrow raised and a knowing glint in his eyes. She bristled. How could he act like he knows what she planned to do? She wasn't that obvious, was she? She took a deep breath.

"To talk to your nephew."

There was no way in hell that she was going to apologize to Prince Scowl for her words but there was a burning curiosity coursing through her to find out about the exile that seemed to be haunting over his shoulders.

* * *

"So wanna tell me about the story of your exile?"

Naruto hummed a small tune and tilted her head as Zuko shot a flame towards the sea. The prince paused and swirled his whole body around, eyebrow twitching at the sight of her. The blonde pressed her lips into a thin line, knelt down and jumped onto the upper deck. She walked closer to the edge of the deck and sat down.

Amber eyes glowed with fury. "Go away!"

The blonde tilted her head to the side as flames danced right passed her, only scotching the metal walls behind her. The heat burned through her, bringing tingles on her legs and toes, but the blonde did not flinch. She only leaned her body forward, blue eyes fixated on the boy who seemed to hunch his shoulders.

"I don't think you are a bad person." The dark-haired prince only inhaled and exhaled as he moved his hands through a series of movement that reminded Naruto of a dance. She watched his graceful movements with her head tilted to the side. "I can't imagine you doing a really bad thing against your own Nation."

Zuko growled. "You don't know a damn thing about me or my actions."

"You weren't willing to sacrifice your own soldiers." Naruto pulled out her kunai from her pocket and tossed it up and down as her blue eyes fixated on him. "Most terrible people have no problem tossing their soldiers to the side if it meant accomplishing their goals."

He snorted. "Don't act like you know me from one single action! You are just a naïve little girl! You even placed all your faith in me even though you have no clue of my talents compared to Commander Zhao."

"I know how annoying and frustrating it can be when someone calls you a failure."

The words hung in the air and the boy swirled his head at her, eyebrow raised at her words. Naruto leaned her body backwards, blue eyes focused on the bright blue skies before looking back at the banished prince before her. It would be strange for her to talk about it with him but his amber eyes held some resemblance of curiosity.

She inhaled. "No one thought I could defeat a genius from a well-known clan since I am the idiot of my village. The girl that barely passed her exams and who was always boasting about her strength, but y'know what? I proved them wrong and if an idiot like me can prove them wrong…then you can do it too."

He looked at her with lips pressed into a thin line and his amber eyes searched her as if he was trying to see if she was being serious. For the first time in a long time, Naruto allowed herself to drop the smile that was always plastered over her face. She leaned her body forward.

"You are probably the only one who has faith in me," Prince Zuko snorted. "Only a foreigner has faith in me. My own uncle has his doubts about me winning against a Commander Zhao."

Naruto frowned "I don't think he doesn't have faith in you, I just think he is just worried of what will happen if you lose your Agni Kai. You did go through it before, didn't you?"

Amber eyes widened before narrowing again and the banished prince growled. "Uncle told you, didn't he? He told you that my father gave me this scar—"

"He told me that a Firebending master gave it to you," Zuko shut his mouth and Naruto deepened her frown. "He never told me that you lost against your own father."

Zuko hunched his shoulders and Naruto jumped down from the upper deck, landing right beside the amber-eyed boy. She eyed the scar on his eye. A part of her wanted to touch the harsh scar on his face. Another part of her wanted to yell and demand to know what kind of father would do this to his own son.

She inhaled and exhaled. "Why did he give you that scar?"

"It was my fault," Zuko grunted, looking away from her. "I spoke out of turn in my father's council, disagreeing with their plans and the end result was me fighting my father. I refused to fight him and in return, he burned my face and called me a disgrace."

Naruto hunched her shoulders and pressed her lips into a thin line. _I heard of emotional abuse, seen it with my own eyes but this is a whole new level._ The blonde grinded her teeth together, eyebrows twitching as she stared at the teen that seemed to be watching her like he was waiting for her to say something. She clenched her hands into a fist.

"No offense but your Dad sounds like a complete and utter asshole."

Zuko swirled his head at her. "He isn't an asshole! He was trying to teach me a lesson!"

"What kind of lesson is burning your child's face?" Naruto swirled her head at him and stared at his burned face. "What kind of father does that? I mean do you hear yourself, Angry Pants? Y'know it is one thing to call a child a disgrace but to also burn—"

Zuko growled and raised his fist, heat radiated from it and Naruto waited for him to throw the flames at her. Instead, the boy tossed the flames right above her head, burning only a single strand of her blond-hair and the blonde stared at the banished prince, who seemed to have his nostrils flaring at her.

"What would you know?" He snarled. "You said it yourself, you never had parents."

Naruto hunched her shoulders and took a deep breath. If she smashed her fist against the floor, Naruto had no doubt that the prince would make her do the repairs for this ship. She hunched her shoulders, taking in several deep breaths as her heart ached for the reminder of the parents that she had never known.

_It is okay, Naru-chan! Father means well…I'm just a disappointment._

"You are right, I don't know anything about parents!" Naruto hunched her shoulders and looked over her shoulders. "But I had a best friend who was constantly belittled by her father because she wasn't better than her cousin or her younger sister. Do you know what it is like watching your best friend losing her self-confidence over what people call her? It hurts like hell."

Zuko stared at her like she was a weirdo and Naruto stared at him. Maybe she was a fool to tell him this. There was no reason for her to tell him but the boy irritated her with his hurtful words. He acted like he knew her life story and he did not. She hunched her shoulders and walked away from the boy.

She only paused midway as a thought came to her.

"Y'know you are an asshole into thinking that you are the only one with problems," Naruto clicked her heels together and turned her head at him. "There are kids out there that watch their families die in wars that could have easily prevented. There are kids out there starving and shivering in the cold. So what if your Daddy burned you, you have an Uncle that loves you."

Zuko doesn't say anything and Naruto didn't expect him too. She only hunched her shoulders and twisted her head away from him, ready to go back to Iroh. Maybe Sasuke was right. She was a fool in thinking that everyone had some good in them. She let out a sigh and looked at Zuko.

"He isn't enough." Zuko answered. "I want my father to acknowledge me and restore my rightful place on the throne."

Naruto stared at him. "Do you honestly believe you will be happy if he acknowledge you after what he did to you? How can you want the acknowledgement of a man who hurts you!"

_You don't understand, Naruto! You never had a family._

If having a family means either having a parents that burned you and belittled you or having a brother murder your family right in front of your eyes, then Naruto wanted nothing to do with that definition of family. Zuko doesn't answer her, only looking at her like she was a big fool but the blonde hunched her shoulders. She took a deep breath and walked away from him.

"Because he is the only parent I have left."

The words hung in the air and Naruto turned her head at Zuko. The boy had his shoulders hunched, amber eyes not staring at her fully and the blonde paused. The words spoke a lot to her. She doubt that this was the banished prince opening up to her but it was a start for her. A start for her to understand of where his loyalty of his father came from.

But not enough for her to think that he was right to desire the acknowledgment of his father.

"We both know that isn't true." She darted her eyes to the door. "I might have never met my father but I had a lot of father figures growing up and none of them was related to me by blood. If I were you, I would think carefully of who might really be a father to you because a father that burns his own child….he is no father."

Naruto didn't know what made her say those words but maybe she thinks it was because she thought that Iroh deserved better than this.

Whatever the case was, the blond-haired girl just walked out of the deck and not once did she turn around to see amber eyes following her movement or a pair of wise eyes observing her and Zuko. Instead she just walked away like she hadn't said a single word to the exiled prince.

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**A/N: I hope all of you liked this chapter.**

**What do you think of this chapter? What do you think of the development of the relationship between Naruto and Zuko? Do you think the pace is just right? Also do you think Naruto should have just waited before giving her thoughts about Ozai? Another question for the day: do you think Naruto was too harsh on Zuko?**

**Please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter.**

**STLHero**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourite and follows as well as everyone reviewed the last chapter.**

_It is a beautiful evening._

Naruto let out a small sigh as the gentle breeze from the sea swept her hair up in the wind, blowing it in all directions. The evening skies were painted so beautifully in shades of red, orange and even shade of gold, which almost tempted the blond-haired girl to sit down and sketch the scene before her. But sadly she didn't think of bringing a piece of scroll for her to paint.

Another sigh escaped from her lips and Naruto darted her eyes to Iroh. The old man stood right beside her in his armor, eyes focused on Zuko who knelt right before them. The usual glint of humor and amusement in Iroh's eyes were gone, replaced with a seriousness that made even Naruto squirm.

Not even the first round of the Chunin Exams made her squirm this much and that had been a paper test.

Dear god, she hated exams that needed her to write.

She shook her head and stared at Zuko. The exiled prince wore a deep red shroud that perfectly highlighted the fact the prince wasn't skin and bones. _If Sakura-chan was here, she might tell me that he had a fit body._ She allowed her eyes to lower to his muscles before darting back to the shroud on his shoulders.

What was the purpose of having it?

Did it offer some form of protection? Or was it only for show?

She wouldn't know until it was time for the whole Agni Kai to begin.

"Prince Zuko, you should remember the basics of your firebending training," Iroh said, darting his eyes to Zhao. "It will be your greatest weapon."

Zuko hunched his back and closed his eyes. "I'm not going to let him win."

"Whatever shit he is going to say to you, don't listen to it." Both Zuko and Iroh turned their heads at her and the blonde focused her eyes on Zhao. "Bastards like Zhao know how to play with people's mind. He probably knows how to rile you up so whatever shit he says to you will be the shit that pulls you down. Shit that isn't true."

"_You are a disappointment to the Hyuga Clan."_

Those words made Hinata falter.

"_You are a fool if you think you can defeat me. Everyone knows that you are a loser and that you will always be a loser because that is your destiny."_

If it were not for Hinata's words before her match with Neji, those words would have affected her even more.

"I won't allow him to get to me." Zuko gritted those words out with amber eyes filled with determination. Naruto stared at him for a long time, lips curling into a smile. She shoved her hands into her parka, holding back the urge to pat his cheek and nodding her head before teasing him about his determination.

They weren't friends nor were they close.

She had no right to do any of those actions even if there was a chance for her to be his friend. _A few days with him and I think we can be friends._ She must be going insane. Friends couldn't be form only after a few days. Sasuke had been different. They had been six. He had been her first friend, not caring one bit that the people around them thought she was a monster.

Zuko and her would never have that kind of connection.

Tearing her eyes away from Zuko, she focused her attention on the metal walls surrounding them. Four walls, just like a prison. _It might become a prison if Zuko doesn't win._ A small frown played on Naruto's lips at the thought. Even though she made the deal with Angry Pants, she had been hoping to travel the world and understand the strangeness that was the Four Nation.

If Zuko lose, she would never get the opportunity.

"What do we do while they fight?" Naruto whispered, leaning her body closer to the chubby old man. A drumstick smashed against the gong and the bell echoed throughout the arena. Birds flew in a v-like wave, looking so free that Naruto longed to follow them. She shook her head as Zuko turned to face Zhao, dropping the shoulder covering from his shoulders.

Naruto felt her whole face burning up, almost like she was being hit by one of Sasuke's fireball jutsu, and let out a tiny squeak before looking away from them. She just presumed they were going to fight with the shrouds. _My poor innocent eyes._ She rubbed the back of her neck.

"We can only watch." Iroh commented, darting his eyes back at her. The old man blinked and leaned his body closer, his eyes fixated on her flushed cheeks. A single eyebrow was raised and the blonde paused, uncertain of what the old man was silently asking her. "Naruto, have you never seen a shirtless man? I presumed with your occupation that this would have been a normal occurrence for you."

The words hung in the air and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of the gong being stuck again. It echoed against her ears, vibrating and stung her ears so much that Naruto nearly flinched. _Does he know what is my job? But how?_ Her hand reached up to the headband tied around her forehead as Iroh stared at her with curious eyes.

"And what is my occupation?" Naruto whispered.

Iroh eyed her. "That Hitai-ate on your forehead symbolizes that you are a kunoichi, does it not?"

Naruto hunched her shoulders as the smiling face of Iruka flashed before her eyes. _Congratulations, Naruto…you are now a proud kunoichi of Konoha._ Another image flashed before her and it was Sakura-chan and Sasuke eating ramen with her as they planned how to get rid of Kakashi-sensei mask. She sucked in another breath, feeling her ribs stretch till it cracked.

"How did you know?" She asked softly as Zhao began the fight. Her blue eyes focused on the older man, noticing the way his mucles flex and how he whipped his hand around, blasting fire everywhere. _Why doesn't he use his breath?_ From what Naruto understood from Sasuke about fire jutsu, it was always about the breath. But Zhao didn't seem to use his breath, more like he was using his hands in a wave of fury.

Maybe that was firebending.

Iroh kept his eyes focused on Zuko. "There was a time when I travelled the world and by luck, I ended up seeing a world where everything was different. A world where people could bend more than two elements."

"Do you know how you ended up there?" She allowed her desperation to leak out into her tone. Nearly three years now and she was still no closer to going home than when she came. "Is my home connected to here? How did you get there?"

The old man pressed his lips into a thin line and darted his eyes to her right side. "For you to go back to your home would be a dangerous journey. A journey that would lead to your death if you aren't careful."

_Death._

That single word numbed her as Zuko raised his hand to produce a firey shield. _Going home means there is a chance I could die._ Her knees buckled and her throat tightened. _You are quite lucky to have survived._ That had been Kanna's words when she woke up. Her hands began to tremble as the picture of Team Seven began to crack.

_Am I really willing to throw my life away just to go back home?_

Hinata, Hanabi, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei flashed before her eyes as Naruto stared blankly at the dangerous blows being sent by both opponents. _The Fourth Hokage chose you as the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi because he had faith in you._ How could she prove the Third and Fourth Hokage had been right about her if she died going back home? She chewed on her bottom lip.

What would happen to the Kyuubi if she died?

"_I will simply reform."_ The Kyuubi answered and Naruto hunched her shoulder. She could hear the glee and annoyance in his voice at the thought of reforming again. _Isn't that weird?_ She chewed on her lips as her breath hitched at the sight of Zhao overpowering Zuko. "_If you were to die crossing through the Spirit World, I will simply reform and bring chaos to that disgusting village of yours."_

She grinded her teeth.

There was no option for her when it came her next choice of action. She would have to learn how to live in this world and find a nation that suited her once this war was over. _I can't be a shinobi here._ But what would she do once this war was over? Open a ramen stand? Sasuke did like her cooking and the bastard was quite picky when he eat.

It wouldn't be hard for her to open a restaurant and get a lot of money.

_What the hell happened?_ Naruto jerked her head away from the side and focused on the fact that Zuko had fallen down. His body must have hit the metal if the blood stains on the metal was of any indication. She balled her hands into a fist as Zhao lunged with eyes burning with excitement and bloodlust.

"Oi! Don't just lie there!" Naruto screamed at Zuko. "Roll over and show that asshole who is the damn Prince of the Fire Nation!"

Zuko blinked and rolled away to the right as a wave of flames burned the ground right beside himself. _That was close._ Naruto relaxed her shoulders as her blue eyes took in the sweat clinging to his body. A lot of people would look away. _This is just cruel._ That would have been Sakura-chan's words if she was here. Her friend would look away, body hunching at this cruelty.

Naruto could never look away, not when she could see how much Zuko was pushing himself to the limit. His breaths kept coming out in short bursts and there was so much sweat coming out of his body that the whole ground was covered it. _He is fighting for his acknowledgment._ A smile played on her lips as Zhao's words echoed in her ears.

"_In the eyes of the Fire Lord, you are a failure."_

She could only imagine how those words hurt him.

"Show that asshole that he is fucking idiot for underestimating you!" Naruto bounced in her spot and waved her fist up and down as the other spectators looked at her like she was insane. Maybe she was. Cheering was probably not something that these people liked but this was a match and she was going to root for Prince Angry Pants. "Show him that you are the most powerful firebender!"

Zuko's eyes strayed towards her and Naruto stared back at him with bright blue eyes flaring with confidence. The boy snorted, almost nearly smirked as he gathered the flames around his feet. Blue eyes widened as the boy spun up in the air, creating an arc of flames that made Zhao stumble back a few steps.

She grinned. "Hit him where it hurts! Break his damn pride! Show him that failures can rise up!"

"She is annoying!" The words were too low for a normal person to hear but Naruto heard the words as clear as day. Her smile widened as the teen focused his attacks on Zhao's feet. She bounced even higher in her spot, pumping her fist as Iroh stared at her with such strange eyes.

If Naruto didn't know any better, she would think he was up to something.

The sun was now starting to set halfway into the horizon, making the brilliant sunrays even less beautiful, but that was fine for Naruto. If Zuko won when the sun had finally set then it would be a perfect symbolism. It would mean the start of something new or so Naruto would like to think as Zhao tried to go for the defensive attack.

Iroh shifted his body to the right and chuckled. "You know Naruto if you keep cheering like this then people would think that you might have a crush on my bad-tempered nephew."

"Then they are stupid." Naruto deadpanned as Zuku ducked and whipped his leg under Zhao, causing the man to fall backwards. "A girl can cheer for someone because she liked the guy more than his opponent."

She let out another cheer as Zhao's head collided with the metal. From where Naruto stood, she could make out the anger and loathing in Zhao's eyes as he stared up at Zuko with a bitterness that made her stop her cheers. _He is the idiot that riled up Angry Pants! He should be a man and take his defeat with a grace of a soldier!_ She clenched her hands into a fist as her eyes focused on Zuko.

Was he going to give the man the same scar on his face?

She couldn't picture him even killing this man.

_And I'm right._ A smile played on her lips as Zuko angled his hand away and shot a burst of flames that missed Zhao's face by inches. Her hands itched to hug the teen and to poke her tongue at Zhao but Naruto held back the urge. They weren't friends. They were probably never really going to be friends. But damn did she want to sing him praises for beating that guy up.

"Next time, just stay out of my way." Zuko whispered as his eyes focused on Zhao.

With those words, Zuko clicked his heels and walked over to Iroh and her. His eyes focused on his uncle for a good couple of seconds before shifting to her. Naruto beamed, lips curled into a large smile, and the boy stumbled as if taken back by something. She tilted her head. _Did I do something weird?_ She shrugged and opened her mouth to say something, only to pause at the intense rage being directed at them.

Blue eyes widened when she saw the rage burning through Commander Zhao's eyes. He raised his body up, hand curled into a fist as if ready to launch another fire ball._ Not on my watch._ With a frown, Naruto channelled her chakra to her legs and launched herself at the man.

She grabbed hold of his fist, twisted it around till it was over his back, and kicked his lower legs. She straddled the man's back as everyone stared at her with wide eyes. Only Iroh's eyes widened with understanding. _He knows what I am._ Her eyes focused on Zuko and the boy stared at her with unreadable eyes.

"And who do you think you are to handle me in this manner?" Zhao snarled, amber eyes flaring with irritation as he tried to squirm under her legs.

Naruto snarled. "A proper solider unlike you! How dare you call yourself a solider when you were willing to attack someone that won fair and square while fighting you? Even the lowest shinobi wouldn't have done what you have done! If anyone in this place has no honour then it is you! Zuko has more honor than you ever dream to have."

With those words, she smashed his face against the ground and walked back to Zuko and Iroh. She kept her head up high as whispers broke out from the soliders. She glanced at them and the men flinched, looking at her with a mixture of admiration and fear. _Cowards._ She grunted before taking her place beside Iroh and Zuko.

"Why?"

Naruto stared at Zuko before flickering her eyes at Iroh. The man did not stare at her, only focusing on her left side. The blonde hunched her shoulders as her eyes focused on Zuko. His eyes were filled with irritation, curiosity and bewilderment as if he was not certain of why she would make such a claim.

_Oh right, we have only been around each other a few days._

"Because I don't like sitting around when someone insults my employer," Naruto shrugged and let out a wide smile as pale eyes flashed before her mind. "And it would look terrible if your pretty boy face get even more burn up because some asshole is a sore loser."

Iroh snorted while Zuko growled, not looking one bit amused by her words. _C'mon I'm giving him a compliment about his looks!_ Not everyone could get a compliment from her about their looks. She chuckled. Not even in her last days of Konoha, did she ever admit out loud that Sasuke had been good-looking.

"Why the hell would you say those words when you don't know me!" He snarled. "Why the hell did you cheer so loudly instead of being quiet like the others?"

Naruto blinked. "So that you know I was rooting for you the whole time, idiot."

"What did you call me?" He snarled. "I'm not the one wearing a parka in a warm place!"

Oh, she was not going to let him off for that.

"And I wouldn't be wearing a parka if we landed on a port with a market for me to buy clothes!" she screamed right back. "Did you expect me to walk out of here in my underwear or in that Fire Nation uniform when the weather is so damn hot—what would have been the difference?"

Zuko flushed a bright shade of red, spluttering while Iroh let out a huge, booming laugh. Naruto sighed and lowered her hoodie, blue eyes focusing on the flushed boy before her. _Why the hell did I defend him?_ She curled her lips into a tiny smile as various memories of her childhood flashed before her eyes.

"_I don't think you are a monster! I think you are a really nice person! You're more fun than the other girls!"_

She guessed everything would go back to that day.

"And to answer your question…it is because I don't think you are someone who lost your honour and doesn't deserve to have his honour questioned by assholes like him."

There was probably another reason too but Naruto wasn't going to try and figured out what was the other reason. She had to think now of what her new plan should be for when this war was over. After all if she couldn't go back home, then she needed to think of a new occupation and a new home for herself.

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**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about this chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**_

_**A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorite and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.**_

* * *

_**(Three and half years ago)**_

_Why is it wrong for me to act my age?_

Naruto couldn't help but ask herself as Sakura-chan eyed her and Konohamaru with visible anger. She didn't need to ask her teammate about her anger. The way her eyes kept darting from Sasuke's disappearing figure to her spoke volumes of what happened. _Why can't he ever be gentle with her?_ Now she had to deal with their teammate's anger.

And she was the innocent party.

"_Why is a kunoichi playing ninja?"_ Sakura grumbled, green eyes narrowing at her. "_You aren't a child, Naruto."_

"_And you aren't an adult."_ Naruto scowled as Konohamaru darted his eyes between them, almost uncertain of whether he should be near them or not. He shouldn't be scared. Sakura-chan and her might argue but it was nothing like the argument between Sakura and Ino. Now that was a cat fight. But her teammate was just upset because of Sasuke.

Sasuke was the only one who could make her teammate this upset.

"_We are considered adults the moment we get the Hitai-ate."_ Sakura puffed her cheeks and Naruto knitted her eyebrows. Were they really adults? She knew if they just walked over to the bar across the street and ask for some sake, then they were going to get kicked out. The Hokages weren't stupid enough to do this to them.

Although she was really curious to go and try sake.

"_Just because we have these Hitai-ate doesn't mean we are adults,"_ Naruto folded her hands over her head as her eyes shifted to Konohamaru. The brown-haired boy inched away from them, looking ready to flee like a little rabbit at the scene. _I'll toughen him up later._ Right now, she would rather not deal with the headache that was Sakura-chan and Konohamaru.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "_The laws says otherwise!"_

"_The law also states that not even a shinobi who is below the age of eighteen is allowed to drink in bars."_ Naruto deadpanned. Sakura blinked and swirled her head at her, green eyes widening like she didn't expect the answer. The blue-eyed girl frowned and tilted her head at her teammate.

Was it really that surprising she knew about the law?

As someone who was constantly getting scolded by the Hokage, Naruto had to find a loophole to wiggle her way out of arguments.

"_That is just one thing!"_ Sakura grumbled. "_Since you have the Hitai-ate, you shouldn't waste your time—"_

"_Then when can I play if not now?"_ Her green-eyed teammate gawked as Naruto darted her eyes to the direction of the training field Sasuke went. In the past four years since the death of his parents, her best-friend stopped playing around. His smiles faded and he stopped acting like the fun little boy in their childhood.

He was just too serious and Naruto just wanted to enjoy what little childhood they had.

"_Naruto, what do you mean?"_ Sakura asked after taking a deep breath. Green eyes shone with so much confusion that it made whatever anger and annoyance inside of Naruto fade away. Right. Her teammate wasn't like her. Unlike her, Sakura-chan always wanted to grow up. Most of the girls in the Academy did and she could never really understand.

But maybe she should make Sakura-chan see her point of view.

The blonde inhaled. "_I mean right now we are at the age where no one in the village would judge us for playing around and messing about. There is no war for us to worry about so we can do all the things that Kakashi-sensei and the others couldn't do. Can't we just take advantage of it?"_

They didn't have such huge responsibilities on their shoulders now. What was the point of being twelve if you couldn't act like it? Sometimes when Naruto watched Sakura-chan and Sasuke, she thinks the two of them would wake up and realize just how much of life they missed up. But of course she couldn't tell her teammate this.

If Naruto was really honest to herself, the reason she refused to act like her teammates was because she didn't want to grow up just yet. Growing up meant accepting her responsibilities of being a jinchuuriki. It meant acknowledging the fact she was a weapon for Konoha, and she didn't want that.

She just wanted to be like the other 12-year-olds in their village.

_Maybe that was why Naruto could had some guess of where Aang would go, because they weren't really any different from each other._

* * *

"You better have a good reason for asking the guards to wake me up, Angry Pants!" Naruto growled as she swung the door opened. The door smashed to the side and the blonde hunched her shoulders, marching straight to the prince that dared to wake her up early in the morning.

Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. Those amber eyes, in that moment, resembled like a furious little cat and that only made Naruto bristled. If anyone should make that expression then it should be her. Didn't he know how precious her sleep was? Unlike him and the other firebenders, she wasn't someone that just rise with the sun.

"Do you have any idea where the Avatar is going?" Zuko growled.

"You woke me up from my sleep for that?" Naruto's eyebrows twitched and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you realize I was having a nice dream until your stupid guards knocked my door like a bunch of monkeys?"

"Monkeys?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "What the hell is that?"

Oh right, these people had strange animals.

Naruto pinched her nose and waved the question off as the prince unrolled a scroll. He placed the open scroll on the ground, laying it flat for the whole world to see. _That looks like a really weird pattern._ With the way those lines kept crossing around, she could feel a headache was incoming.

Was this how Iruka-sensei felt whenever the teachers begged him to find her?

"I'm not a mindreader," Naruto finally said. "So I can't tell where he might be going except that he has to reach the North Pole since the South Pole has no waterbender for him to learn from."

The blonde took in a deep breath and chewed on her bottom lip. _If he gets furious from my sentence then I'm really going to give it to him._ She balled her hands into a fist as golden eyes eyed her. Was he going to yell at her? She couldn't imagine her words were of any help but it wasn't like she was lying to him.

"If he had to reach the North Pole then why is he doing this path?" Zuko finally asked, eyebrow twitching. "Uncle and I had the same belief but the path he is making tells us that he is clearly a master of evasive maneuvering."

Naruto snorted. _If only he met me as a 12-year-old, I would give Aang a run for his money._ She curled her lips into a smile and let out a little laugh. God, Iruka-sensei had a hard time tracking her down whenever she did her pranks. Sometimes she just let him catch her out of pity. Her smile faded and she focused her eyes on the map again.

"There is nothing funny about the situation!" He growled. "People have confirmed seeing him but nothing about his movements tells us what he plans to do next. It is all over the place."

She sighed. "It's funny because you are acting like the Avatar knows that you are following his every movement."

Zuko scowled and Naruto rolled her eyes. Honestly with the way the trail was, she could guess Aang either had no idea of how to reach the North Pole or was trying to have some fun before he reached the North Pole. _I think it would be the latter._ Chewing on her bottom lip, she nodded.

If she was in his position, she would want to have some fun before the burden became too real.

"Then what do you think he is doing?"

Naruto darted her eyes from the map to Zuko. The teen folded his arms against his chest and tapped his feet against the floor like he couldn't wait for a single moment for her to collect her thoughts. _Pain in the neck._ She scowled and traced the red dots that were scattered all over the place.

"Can you confirm if there are anything fun in those places?" She took in a deep breath and looked away from the map. Blue eyes focused on amber eyes which now flashed with uncertainty and confusion. _If an idiot like me can realize this, why can't he?_ Not the time for her to think like this.

The prince frowned. "What do you mean fun? Why would he care about fun?"

"He is a 12-year-old boy." Naruto reminded him. "Do you really think because he's the avatar that he wants to stop having fun? That doesn't work like that. The day he woke up from the Ice Berg, he asked Katara to go penguin sledding with him. Now is that something an Avatar should do?"

Zuko frowned. "But his duty—"

"If he cared about his duty then the whole world wouldn't be in this situation," Naruto shook her head and let out a sigh. "And well he might be a coward but I can't really blame him either. Not many people could deal with the burden placed on him…so I guess it was natural for him to run away."

The scarred prince pressed his lips into a thin line and knelt beside her. Even from where Naruto sat, she could feel the intense heat radiating from his body. _Damn, he is like a personal heater._ If her fingers had ever felt the slight tingles of the cold, then the heat from Zuko's body was enough to chase it away.

Shaking her head, Naruto turned her head around to look at the prince.

"So he is looking for fun?" Zuko pressed his lips into a frown. "But if that was the case then some of the spots he went to, had nothing to do with fun. Mind explaining that?"

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Some of the locations do have aspects where a kid would have fun," Zuko admitted, pointing to three locations in the map. Naruto rubbed her chin and lowered her head. Her blue eyes followed his fingers, where it finally landed on some locations that were either near water or in the middle of the woods. "Those places have nothing that would be considered fun."

She sighed. "But he has a flying bison, Angry Pants. It is an animal that still needs to rest and recharge after flying a couple of miles…he can't force it to fly all the way to the North Pole without rest."

_Then he should force the beast to fly faster._ She could almost picture the prince screaming those words to her and the thought of him yelling those words brought a frown on her face. While Zuko wasn't a monster, she would never deny the fact that the boy lacked empathy when it came to either people or animals.

"That is a factor I didn't take into consideration," Zuko muttered. "You can go now."

_Would it kill you to say the words thank you? _ She sighed and shook her head. Right. Even if Zuko was a banished prince abused by his father, he never really had to learn how much those words meant to someone. Taking in a deep breath, Naruto pushed herself off the ground and began to walk towards the door.

Naruto paused and turned her head around. "Oi Angry Pants, y'know it won't kill you if you say the words thank you to me."

"As long as you are on this ship, this is considered to be your duty." Zuko declared and Naruto didn't need to look at his eyes to know he was rolling his eyes at her.

_Duty huh?_ She curled her lips into a frown and shrugged. Was it her duty to help him? Her duty seemed to be more about helping Aang evade this prince but she was also helping the prince chase him. _Life was so much easier when Aang was asleep._ With a final shake to her head, Naruto walked out of Zuko's room.

Now she needed to make a plan of what to do when Zuko actually got close to the Avatar.

* * *

"The Avatar is in Kyoshi Island!"

Naruto paused as Zuko jumped up from his seat with his amber eyes glinting with excitement and hope. _Of course he is happy with the news._ The thought annoyed her, almost making her ready to throw the rice away but Naruto only tightened her grip on the chopsticks. Right now she had no right to be annoyed, not when she made a deal and helped him with figuring out where the Avatar might visited.

_But still for the news that Aang is there means he must have been there for the last few days._

She took in a deep breath, steadying her trembling arms as Iroh glanced at her. Naruto didn't need to look at the old man to know he was concerned for her. A strange thing when Naruto thought about it. Why was he concerned? She had no connection to Aang except for the few hours they spent together.

_But he is still the Avatar and the Kyuubi will be a pain in the ass if I don't delay things._ She shifted her weight to the left as Zuko looked at the cook before them. With the way Angry Pants seemed so excited, Naruto almost felt a stirring of guilt of what she might do. It would be terrible of her to think of a way to stop him from getting the Avatar but it was better for everyone.

Both the world and him.

"_If your father really loved you, he would let you come back without the Avatar."_

If Zuko came back with Aang, Naruto wasn't certain of whether or not the Fire Lord would actually welcome the prince with open arms. _He is a cruel bastard._ The blonde chewed on her bottom lip, pushing it back and forth as her eyes focused on the prince. No, if she helped Zuko take Aang then it would ruin him and the world.

Even if she disliked the prince for his attitude, she didn't want to see him to go through another round of abuse.

"Ready the Rhinos!" Naruto jerked her head as Zuko barked the commands to Iroh. _I need to buy time._ She inhaled and exhaled as several thoughts and ideas rushed through her head. Just one idea was needed. An idea that would make sense and give enough time for Aang to leave. Something that wouldn't connect to her.

"_You do realize that the first lesson of being a shinobi is to hide, right?"_

Thank god for Kakashi-sensei and that stupid genin exam for giving her an idea.

"Are you sure you want to use the Rhinos?" She raised the cup of tea as Zuko and Iroh swirled their heads at her. One set of amber eyes flashed with curiosity and suspicion while the other set of eyes looked at her with understanding. _I hope Iroh won't figure out what I'm planning to do._ It would be bad if he figured out her plan.

"And why wouldn't I want to use the Rhinos?" Zuko growled.

_I have got one shot to do this right._ She steadied her arms and focused her eyes on Zuko. If her eyes faltered or if she even sounded like she wanted to help Aang run away then everything was game over. _The South Pole needs my deal._ She took in another deep breath as amber eyes flashed with irritation.

"Well it would be obvious if you are coming to get him if you used the Rhinos," Naruto kept her tone light and cheerful as Zuko narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't give me that look, Prince Scowl! Animals can be very loud and if any of the villagers hear the sound of rhinos then they will just tell Aang and the others."

The prince eyed her. "If we don't use the rhinos then the Avatar would get away from us."

"And what would be a better tactic for you?" She raised an eyebrow as her hand reached out for the cup of water that the cook had poured for her. "To go there by foot and launch a sneak attack or to use the rhinos that can be heard from a mile ahead? If you got the news from the cook then it means that Aang has already been there for days and has no desire to leave just yet."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "And if I go by foot then he would escape from me."

"Naruto does have an excellent point," Iroh commented, stroking his beard as his amber eyes flickered to her. The understanding in his eyes made Naruto pause. _He knows what I'm planning to do._ The thought made her sweat as she waited for the man to either disagree with her or help her with convincing the prince. "The people of Kyoshi Island are filled with warriors that would attack us if they hear the rhinos come."

"Do you hear yourself? We will never catch up to them by foot." Zuko snarled.

Naruto raised her eyebrow. "And they will escape the moment they hear the rhinos, so either way you have nothing to lose. At least with my advice, there is less chance that they will hear you come."

_Will he listen to my advice?_ She chewed on the inner corner of her cheek as Zuko eyed her and his uncle. It might be a pain in the neck for him but her plan didn't make it seem like they were trying to help the Avatar. _It will just give enough time for them to escape._ She steadied her arms as the prince kept flickering his eyes between them.

"What is the distance from here to the village that the Avatar is currently in?" Zuko asked.

The cook frowned. "I believe that the fish merchant mentioned it was only a three day journey by foot."

Zuko rubbed his chin and stared at his food before glancing at Iroh. _It will be a surprise if he just immediately agrees to what we say._ The prince inhaled and exhaled as wrinkles formed around his forehead. The only sound that could be heard was Zuko's breathing. Naruto darted her eyes at Iroh while Iroh looked back at her.

"We will travel with the rhinos half way and then switch by foot," Zuko declared.

_Well I've enough time to warn Aang._

Now she just needed to think of a plan to send him the warning.

* * *

_I have only a limited time before we need to leave._

Naruto clasped her hands together and took in a deep breath as her eyes scanned her room. Her room was not only small but had no windows for her clones to escape. _Even though I'm not a prisoner, I certainly have a room that suits a prisoner._ The thought almost made her want to growl but Naruto held her temper.

Nothing good would come out from her anger.

"_You can always disguise your clone as one of that prince's soldier."_ The Kyuubi commented. Naruto blinked and pressed her lips into a frown as her eyes darted to the doors. There was some truth behind the beast's words. That kind of thing had always been her specialty and Zuko would never question if a soldier went out of the ship.

He would probably believe the solider had gone to visit a brothel.

"_For someone that hates humans, you have no problem helping the Avatar."_ She took a seat on her bed as her eyes flickered to the uniform Iroh had given her. It wasn't completely bad. The armor didn't seem to be thick, light enough for her to run in. _Although it has a skirt._ She grimaced as her eyes flickered to the red pants and thick boots. It would be good enough for her to run.

_Although I will have to slow down my speed for the soldiers' sake._

The thought made her frown.

"_The Avatar is probably one of the few humans I don't hate."_ The Kyuubi grumbled. "_Unlike most humans, they never treat me like I'm some kind of weapon."_

Naruto paused. "_If that is the case then why do you come back to my world?"_

"_Even if I like the Avatar and its world, it isn't the world I was created in."_ The Kyuubi replied with a sigh. Naruto hummed and bobbed her head. The words might be a little bit vague but she could guess what the beast was trying to tell her. No matter how much time had passed, there was always a desire to return to the place that you were born in.

Even if that place treated you like crap.

"_Kyuubi, if I was ever to go back to our world then how much time would pass?"_

The Kyuubi sighed. "_Who knows? One time I spent a six years here but only a year passed in your world. Another time I spent three months here and no time have passed at all. Time is relative…you might grow older here but your friends and teammates might still be 12."_

The knowledge numbed her to the point that Naruto felt her arms trembled. If that was the case then what would be the point of her going back home? Sakura-chan and Sasuke might still be twelve but she would be sixteen both in body and appearance. It would be irony for her if she went back to them as an adult while they were stuck as children.

"_Then why does Gamakichi and the others know how much time have passed for me?"_ Naruto asked.

The beast paused. "_Did you forget when that toad was surprised to see how much you have grown when you summoned it after your fight with that Uchiha brat? Unlike you, that toads is smart enough to realize that time is different for you now. When you first summoned him, he didn't know that you were missing or had a mission or have you forgotten?"_

Well she was never going to admit to him that she forgot.

"_Not only are you an idiot but you are forgetful too!"_ The Kyuubi growled. "_Why do I always have bad luck with my containers?"_

_Because you are an asshole._

Of course she wasn't going to tell him that since the Kyuubi was her only source of information.

Growling, Naruto took in a deep breath and placed her fingers together into a familiar hand seal. There was no time for her to talk to the Kyuubi. Right now, she needed to focus on making her clone. _Pop._ Clouds of smoke enveloped her room as a figure stepped out of a smoke.

"Y'know what to do." Naruto declared to her clone as the smoke evaporated into nothing. Her clone grinned, bobbed her head before weaving her hands through another set of seals. The blonde rubbed her chin as smoke enveloped her clone. Were they going to do it perfectly? She hoped so. This couldn't fail.

Seconds passed before the smoke disappeared, revealing her clone that was now dressed as one of Zuko's foot soldier. Naruto clasped her hands behind her back and began to circle around her clone. _Flawless._ There was nothing about the uniform that indicated her clone wasn't another soldier for Prince Zuko.

Her clone saluted her before marching out of her room, leaving Naruto to sit back down on the bed.

_I just hope Sokka doesn't knock out my clone before it gives Aang my message._

Hopefully, those three weren't furious enough not to hear what her clone had to tell them.

* * *

**A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter. **


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